Fighting PCOS Naturally

Hopelessness and Allergies

2012-02-02T04:29:00.001-06:00

I've been feeling overwhelmingly hopeless lately. DH and I are both disabled and not fit to work, but we aren't disabled enough to be recognized by the gov't. Since we are not working, we cannot afford insurance to cover medications I need to become remotely sane - although they never really did work. Every day that goes by is just another day where I realize that I am having to rely on my 77 year old grandfather, who will probably end up working until the day he dies because he is the only one in our family who gives a damn and supports us, even if he really doesn't want to. I've been trying so hard to lose weight in an attempt to feel better. I figured if I didn't have to carry around so much weight, I might feel better. Well gaining 8 pounds in the last 2-3 weeks definitely isn't helping.

I've been sitting here for hours scouring the internet for some piece of advice I haven't heard before, something that might make me feel better. I guess I did find something, but I'm not getting my hopes up - if I'm wrong, it hurts less this way. I've read some interesting articles/blogs/research lately that shows a correlation between my perpetually swollen fingers, stiff joints, and my depression and bipolar disorder: FOOD ALLERGIES. I know that going off gluten did wonders for my gut, but what else could I be eating that is causing so many problems? My grandmother paid for a food allergy test yesterday. The blood test checks for 110 different allergies, covering the typical foods one might eat. The results should be available within 3 weeks. I'm so very afraid that I may have a nut allergy, which will be a nightmare for me, since nut flours have been my go-to flours since I went gluten-free. Or could I be allergic to kale, even though I have perfected my super spicy kale chip dehydrator recipe? I'd be happy to be allergic to red meat and chicken - it would be an excuse to become a vegetarian, something I can't do now because of my husband's love for anything meaty. My fear is that I won't have the willpower to eliminate anything the test might reveal as bad for me. I still eat some gluten, even though I know what it does to me.

Photo Credit

I've seen enough rain lately - a rainbow would be a welcome change.

What's Your Song? Thursday IS BACK!

2012-01-19T13:36:00.001-06:00

I realized that I'm in desperate need of some tunage. I'm trying a 3-day juice fast, and I want it to go well, so I need to be in a good mood - esp. since I hate most of the veggies in the juice but I know they are good for me.

I have some good news - I have lost enough weight to take the 'W's off the end of my pant size, and I had to buy new, SMALLER undies. YAY! The hubby is very excited about the pair decorated with sledding penguins lol.

Here's my song - Dirty Laundry by Bitter:Sweet. Love this song!!! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go dance with my dog and ignore all the dirty laundry that really needs to meet the washing machine :)

Join us on this great link-up from Amber at Goodnight Moon!

Some random pictures :)

2012-01-08T23:59:00.000-06:00

The weather has been nice lately... Nice enough that I'm glad I have an excuse to go outside. His name is Spike :) At 5 months old, he weighs over 30 pounds. He loves rough-housing with James and chasing baseballs.

He's what keeps me smiling :)

Making vegan Halloween candy for my teenage daughter

2012-01-07T05:13:00.001-06:00

Guest post written by Simon Vincent

My teenage daughter told us four months ago that she was going vegan. I didn't believe that she would stick to it for more than a few weeks, but she's still sticking to that regimen. I remember it distinctly because I was going to make her a birthday cake the next week and had to come up with an alternative recipe. Since then I've been experimenting with all kinds of vegan recipes to figure out which ones are good and which one's aren't.

I looked online to find some vegan Halloween recipes to make for her that would still taste good. While I was online looking up those recipes, I ran across some info on clear TV bundle packages. I showed them to my wife and after that we decided to change over our home service to one of those bundles.

I did find some pretty good sounding vegan candy recipes, but I never trust one online that says it's good. Sometimes those just taste weird, but I did find a few candy recipes for peanut butter cups and chocolate bars that were pretty satisfactory.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T14:48:00.000-06:00

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. I've actually been pretty upset with myself for going so long without blogging. I'll catch you up to speed with 2011, and then tell you what's going on for 2012!

Most of you know that I took some time off work for a while to focus on my health. Well, that has lasted longer than expected. For the past year, my ring fingers have felt as though they needed a good crack/pop, but it hurt too much to try. A few weeks before I planned on going back to work, I started having major problems with my fingers. They swelled up, and for the past couple of months, I have not been able to make a fist, hold a pen, button shirts, or type for long periods of time. As a software programmer, it's difficult to work if you can't type. The joint pain is also in my wrists, elbows and knees. I had to switch which side of the bed I slept on so I didn't have to deal with the pain from crawling across the bed to my side. You know that pain you feel if you press on a bruise? That's how my knees and wrists feel when trying to crawl across a thick foam mattress. IT SUCKS. After a lot of research and study, I've determined that it is likely Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have tried all the OTC pain pills, as well as some Rx ones, and have been unable to combat the pain or swelling. This is a large part of why I haven't been blogging.

I started seeing a nutritionist about it, since a new patient appointment at the recommended rheumatologist's office isn't available until April. He believes that it is all due to a cortisol imbalance. I've felt for a few years now that I have high cortisol levels, but have never been able to find any information on how to fix it. Cortisol is a hormone your body secretes to cause your liver to produce blood sugar during prolonged periods without food, such as during sleep. It is affected by stress and poor diet. Some signs of high cortisol levels are: waking up feeling tired, lack of energy and tossing and turning in your sleep. The nutritionist gave me a simple solution to lowering my levels naturally - EAT! I know this may sound counter-intuitive for women with PCOS who want to lose weight, but it's not. All you have to eat is a couple of almonds every few hours, as well as right before you go to bed and as soon as you wake up. It only takes two almonds to 'trick' your brain into thinking you are eating, therefore inhibiting the release of more cortisol. It's really that simple! So I've been doing that for almost two weeks now, and I can definitely tell the difference. How do I know? Because on the days that I remember to eat almonds, I wake up feeling better, and want to get out of bed. If I forget the almonds, I'm sluggish and stay in bed for a while before getting up. It's amazing what just a few almonds can do for you. This is supposed to help with the inflammation in my fingers, but it hasn't yet. I'm going to give it some more time, though.

I participated in the last Soul Cysters Weight Loss Challenge and got 2nd place! The voting for People's Choice is still open, so if you want to, head over to the blog and vote for me, Lynne! The latest challenge has already started, and I'm in it too. Registration is still open until Jan 15, so if you have PCOS and want to lose weight, don't hesitate to join! I've been asked by Christina, the challenge host, to write a bi-weekly column on healthy eating tips for the challenge newsletter. I'm excited to be doing it, and I'll be posting my column on my blog for those who are interested but are not participating in the challenge.

I didn't make any resolutions this year - just some goals I hope to attain. I want to be under 200 pounds before the end of the year. I'll have to lose the same amount of weight that I did last year, and I really wasn't trying as hard as I should have been, so I'm hopeful that I'll succeed. I'm in the 220s now, and I'm pretty dang proud of that. I also hope to be able to come up with the money necessary to go back to school. I want to get my Bachelor's in Holistic Health, which will include certifications as a nutritionist and herbalist. I want to attend the Global College of Natural Medicine, and maybe work towards my doctorate in holistic health - although for now I'd be very happy with the Bachelor's.

So that catches you up on the bigger stuff. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is off to a great new year!

Giving gifts that give back!

2011-11-22T16:39:00.001-06:00

Our society as a whole has been trained to believe we need man-made medication, overly processed foods, and products made as cheaply as possible, without regard to the environment. When I changed how I took care of myself, I went for all-natural supplements and a healthy diet. I lost weight and I started feeling better. I was amazed by how awesome natural products are. I started looking around the house, only to realize that while I may be taking care of myself, I wasn't take care of the planet.

Have you looked outside and wondered what life would be like without any trees? Or what happens when the landfills get too full of non-biodegradable plastic? It surely wouldn't be a pretty sight. But we can change that. We can stop using plastic bags in favor of reusable ones. We can bottle our own water, in glass or stainless steel bottles. But how can we help others to do the same? Christmas, or course!

Why not give gifts that give back? I was recently introduced to ethical ocean, an online company that has something for everyone on your wish list, and plenty of stuff you'll want to buy for yourself. I love their search bar - it says 'Search for something ethical'. Very cute :) Every product has a 'Why it matters' section that explains why it is good for the earth, people or animals. I have already added their Easy to Grow Mushroom Garden to my wishlist, as well as a Love Bottle!

And if you are having trouble figuring out what to get for those hard to buy for people on your list, you have to check out Holiday Helper Elf! It's entertaining, and it makes gift giving a cinch! ethical ocean offers free shipping on orders over $75, and I'm certain you can find something for everyone on your list!

Crunchy Green Goodness -Spicy Kale Chips!

2011-10-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

I need more greens in my diet. I like salad, but it get boring quick. I never seem to have the right ingredients to make some awesome salads from a few of the other blogs I follow, like Leann's Cranberry Mango Millet Salad at Healthful Pursuit, and Gena's Sprouted Lentil Salad at Choosing Raw.

I have a hate/hate relationship with kale. I can't stand it raw, and my grandmother's recipe involves cooking it like collard greens until it's almost mush. I had high hopes for kale chips, but the last time I tried making them, it was a disaster. I had almost decided that I was never going to try them again. When I realized that the kale in my fridge was going to go bad if I didn't use it, and I was in desperate need of something crunchy, I gave in and gave it another go.

These turned out great. The ingredient list is really small, and it's a very simple to make. I started with Gena's recipe for Spicy Curry Kale Chips, and modified it to my liking. These certainly do not disappoint.

Spicy Kale Chips - Vegan, gluten-free, and can be made raw

> 1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
> 1 head kale, washed, dried, de-stemmed and cut/ripped into bite-size pieces - the drying is SUPER IMPORTANT. I didn't do this last time, and that's why they came out terrible. I suggest letting them dry on paper towels while waiting for your cashews to soak.
> 1 tsp chili/cayenne powder (I used hot chimayo powder from Savory Spice Shop)
> 1 tsp garlic powder
> 1 pinch sea salt to taste
> 1/4 cup water

Using food processor/magic bullet/blender, blend cashews, chili powder and garlic powder with half the water. If it is still chunky or really thick, add more water. I love Gena's description - you are looking for a nut pate, thin hummus, but not runny. I used a magic bullet, so I just did the water and cashews, then stirred the spices in with a spoon. Add more chili powder if it's not spicy enough for you.

Massage into kale. Get them good and smothered in the cashew sauce. Lay covered kale out on cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until crunchy. (They took 22 minutes in my oven.) These can be kept raw by using a dehydrator at 115 overnight instead of an oven.

Thankfully I had enough kale to make two pans full, so I could take before and after pics :) And I apologize for my crappy pictures. Oh what I would give to have food pics as awesome as Leann's!

These will definitely be heading to the park with us this afternoon for our anniversary picnic! We've been married 2 years today :)

Before:

After:

What's Your Song? Thursday Link Up!

2011-10-27T21:18:00.002-05:00

Have you read about my giveaway? You should! Find it here

It's time for Halloween! YAY! This is our favorite time of year, and for good reason. Saturday is our 4 year anniversary, and Monday, Halloween, is our 2 year wedding anniversary! Our apartment complex has lots of decorating competitions throughout the year, and I figured they'd have one for Halloween. I waited and waited for the flyer about it, but it never came. I gave up, and decided I wasn't going to worry about it since I didn't have any money. Then, James took the dog out yesterday and walked back in with a notice about the decorating and pumpkin carving contests! The deadline to enter was TODAY. Yeah. One day to decide if I was competing. The judging is tomorrow. I decided that I needed to carve a pumpkin, and that's what I've been doing all day. The name - 'Blunt Force Trauma'. It's half face, half skull. I'm going to hit the face with a hammer to make the blunt force trauma, and take food coloring to bloody it up. We are adding a toe tag around the stem with his name, 'Lantern, Jack O.', and COD of blunt force trauma. I've got all the carving done, so now I have to beat it up and paint it. I'll be posting pictures when I'm done. I'm also going to be cutting silhouettes out of black trash bags to put in the windows - meat hanging in the kitchen window, and maybe a grim reaper on the patio door.

So as for a song - of course I had to choose a Halloween song. What would be better than This is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas? That song performed by Marilyn Manson :) Enjoy!

Want to join the link up? Head over to Amber's blog, Goodnight Moon and link up!

My First Giveaway!

2011-10-23T23:21:00.001-05:00

My last post was about my decision to start a bakery. I'm very excited about it, and have been getting some fantastic reviews from my taste testers! My menu is small right now, but I am continually working on new recipes to expand it. I'm currently attempting to make a really good gluten free sandwich bread that doesn't have corn, potato, white rice, or soy in it. I hope to have it done by opening day, Nov 1. I know it's weird to open on a Tuesday, but I plan to be very busy celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary on Halloween by scaring little kids :)

I figured one of the best ways to advertise the bakery was to have a blog giveaway. So that's exactly what I'm doing! One lucky reader will receive a $20 gift certificate to I Can't Believe It's Good For Me. The giveaway is open until midnight, Oct. 31. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Nov 1.

Here are the rules:
1 - You must complete the mandatory entry.
2 - Post each entry as a separate comment.
3 - Leave your name and email in at least one comment so I can contact you if you are the winner.

MANDATORY

1-Follow my blog and the I Can't Believe It's Good For Me blog via Google Friend connect and leave a comment saying you have.

The first entry is mandatory, if you don't do it, I will delete your entries. I will check each and every entry before doing the draw. You need to do the first step for the extra entries to count.
_________________________

Extra entries (1 each unless indicated otherwise)
- Tell me what menu item you are most excited to try or suggest a new one, +1
- Subscribe to my blog by e-mail and confirm, right sidebar, +1
- Follow the bakery on Twitter, +1
- Like I Can't Believe It's Good for Me on Facebook , +1
- Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide a link to your blog, + 3
- Post my button on your blog and provide a link to your blog, +2
- Tweet about this giveaway once a day, post the link in a comment, +1
"I entered a giveaway for a new PCOS-friendly bakery, @ICBItsGoodForMe, here: http://bit.ly/pjKqwR"
- Post this giveaway on a blog giveaway directory and provide a link to the directory, +2

Good luck!!!

Starting a new business, and I need help with a name!

2011-10-14T05:33:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited about this. I haven't been this excited in a long time. I love to bake. I've wanted to start a bakery, but here in Texas, that's been difficult. In order to run a bakery out of your home, you have to have a completely separate kitchen and storage facilities for your business. I understand the reasoning, but dang, really? I'd have no problem with a health inspector visiting my kitchen. I don't mind the licensing. But to either add a second kitchen to our home or rent a commercial kitchen? That requires a large financial investment - which I don't have. Thankfully, the Texas Senate understands. They passed SB 81, a.k.a. the Texas Baker’s Bill or Cottage Foods Bill. As of Sept 1, 2011 you can run a bakery out of your home - no license, no inspection, you can even have pets. The restrictions? You can't sell online, you can't sell at farmer's markets, and you can't make more than $50k a year. No problem. I can deliver in my area. Now the text actually says ''Sec. 437.0194. SALES BY COTTAGE FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATIONS THROUGH THE INTERNET PROHIBITED. A cottage food production operation may not sell any of the foods described in Section 437.001(2-b)(A) through the Internet." This is all it says about internet sales. Through my interpretation, I can't take orders via the internet. However, I do believe I can take phone orders and receive payment via the internet. However, I am going to continue doing research to find out, because it's not clear, and I want it to be. I think by the time I need to really start working on out-of-town sales, I hope to be in a commercial kitchen so I won't have these restrictions.

Anyways, I said all that to say this. I'm opening my own bakery. It will be PCOS-friendly, obviously. Once I nail down the recipes, I'll be offering cakes, breads, muffins and other pastries, most of which, if not all, will be gluten-free. I know that gluten-free bakeries are trending right now, but I'm focused on making women with PCOS happy. I'll be staying away from corn, potato starch, white rice, and soy. I'll use farmer's market fruits (as much as I can). Healthier sugars like succanat, stevia and agave.

But I need a name. I've never been really good at coming up with names. Do you have any ideas? I'll take any suggestions!

For more info about the new bill: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=SB81

What's Your Song? Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011

2011-10-13T03:05:00.001-05:00

We got a couple of new games this week - Just Dance 3 and Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Edition. I blogged about JD3 a few days go, you can read it here. James asked me if I wanted to sing for him tonight, so I played Karaoke Revolution again. I've been crowned American Idol twice now, lol. Next time we are going to see if we can get booted off :) Although I can belt out Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On or Rihanna's Unfaithful really well, my favorite song to sing is Hemorrhage by Fuel. Oh, and if you can keep from staring into the singer's eyes during this video, mad props to you!

Join us on this great link-up from Amber at Goodnight Moon!

The new game I love dancing to!

2011-10-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

Every few weeks I try a new workout game. If I don't keep switching games, I get bored and just quit. Today I tried Just Dance 3 for the first time, and I really like it!

What's great about JD3 is that they just took JD2 and improved on it. It wasn't a total overhaul, it was just some extra features. As you play, you gain 'Mojo', which in turn unlocks new songs and dance modes. I like games where you have something to work towards. JD2 didn't have that. The song list is fantastic, with a wide variety of speeds and styles. It also has some songs with 4 different dancers, to make things more interesting when playing with friends. My favorite song so far is 'Beautiful Liar', which was originally performed by Shakira and Beyonce. Of course it was a fun, booty-shaking good time :) And you know that song by Cee-Lo, called Forget You? It's on here too. Oh, and I was sweating like crazy after just a few songs - but it was fine with me because I was having so much fun! I can't wait to unlock some more fun songs!

And here's some Cee-Lo, just for the heck of it :P (This is the un-edited version, so be forewarned)

Disclaimer: I am not being paid for this review. This post is solely my opinion.

Had to rant, yet again.

2011-10-05T11:30:00.000-05:00

There's been something eating away at me lately. Although I want to be excited for all the ladies in my support groups getting preggo, but it's hard. A lot of them have been getting preggo without 'trying' - they took their focus off getting pregnant and it happened. But instead of being happy for them, it just depresses me even more. We don't get that opportunity. We will always be 'trying' to get pregnant, because we have to use a donor.

It sucks. It feels as though we are worse off than a lot of other couples going through infertility. In a way, we are. We are, without a doubt, 100% not able to have a child that is biologically related to James. (Unless we use a family member as a donor - and that's just creepy to me. The thought of having to tell my child someday that Dad is really a brother or an uncle is a conversation I never want to have.) We don't have the options for him that I do. I can help improve my fertility with supplements, exercise and diet change. He can't. He might be able to get his issue surgically corrected, but that doesn't guarantee that he'll actually have functioning little soldiers. He could take supplements if he had a low count, but there is a big difference between low count and 0. We have 0. Zip. Nada. Nothing.

It's situations like this that further deepen my belief in the lack of God. How could something all-knowing, caring and loving put two people together, who so desperately want to be parents, only to throw multiple infertility problems our way? If God was out there, listening to the thoughts in my heart, He'd know that I've wanted to be a mom since I was 5. I have literally always wanted to be a mom. And James, he really wants to be a dad. I know he's wanted kids for at least 4 years now. Please, if you disagree with me, good. You have your own opinions. But don't try to tell me that this is all in God's plan. Saddling us with something that causes debilitating and crippling depression is not His plan. Fuck that. It's not in his plan to make drug addicts ridiculously fertile. To watch thousands of children get placed in foster care, hoping for a family to love them.

And yes, someone is thinking 'Why don't you just adopt?'. My response - I would if I could. Adoption fees are outrageously high. Like down payment on a freakin' house high. We are excluded from international adoption because James will always have to rely on a mobility aid. A diagnosis of bipolar disorder and depression also excludes us from qualifying. We are too young to adopt in the States. Granted, we only have a year and a half before we qualify age-wise, that's a lifetime to us. Finding a pregnant woman that wants to have an adoption plan is difficult when you have a small circle of friends/family. It's not like we have a church full of people to ask for help in spreading the word. In all honesty, I'm fairly certain that even if any of my family or friends knew of someone that wanted to give a baby up for adoption, they aren't going to pass along our information.

I know I shouldn't expect other people to care about our problems. I have friends I've known for years, who I've told on many occasions about our issues, that still don't remember the next time the child subject comes up. I can't tell you how much I hate the questions like 'Do you have kids?', 'When are you planning to have kids?', 'Do you want to have kids?' If I wouldn't get in trouble for it, I'd probably punch someone. Sometimes I feel the need to wear a shirt saying 'Warning: you will regret asking me about children.'

I wish these rants made me feel better. It feels good to get everything out in the open, but it doesn't make the thoughts or the pain go away. I don't feel one iota better now than I did when I started writing. but maybe, this may help just one person more sensitive around me. Maybe I wouldn't get text messages of sonograms announcing pregnancy (which really drive me crazy when the father has been home less than a month out of the entire year and still manages to get pregnant. If the friend I'm talking about reads this, I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I'm just really depressed that you are getting something I really want without even trying. That's why I don't ask about the pregnancy when we talk.) Maybe someone will stop and think before asking me about our future kids. Maybe my dad will stop telling me he's too young to have grandchildren. Maybe my mother-in-law would stop saying she doesn't care if we have kids or not because she 'already has grandchildren.'

Or maybe life won't change at all, and I'll just continue ranting when I feel I'm about to explode.

Meet Spike!

2011-10-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

We went to visit James' aunt after the 5K was over. She had just recently picked up this cute puppy, Spike, to keep her company, since her last one died a year ago. Spike is a black lab/Pomeranian mix. Wild, right? He's small, soft and fluffy, with an adorable lab face. He's rambunctious and has a little bit of a biting problem. Like all puppies, he thinks everything is edible. He has a tiny white line of fur that goes right down his forehead, hence the name Spike. It's not my choice for a name, because it's so common, but he knows it so it stays. My mom asked me last night if we could give him a middle name so she would have something to call him because she didn't like his name either, lol.

The 3rd day we were there, he stopped being able to keep any food down. James' aunt freaked out, thought he was going to need surgery, and started looking for a no-kill shelter she could take him to. He was still happy and playful, so I wouldn't let it happen. I did some googling (and made calls to the vet) and determined that since he wasn't lethargic, we needed to give him a day without food to clear out his system. James' aunt was still certain that she could not keep him anymore, so I decided that he would be coming home with us.

The next day, he kept his food down just fine. It turns out that he had been left outside, ALONE, for too long and stuffed himself on hackberries and dead leaves. James' aunt was still certain she no longer wanted to keep him, so it was official. He became one of our clan. We bought him an id tag with a jack o' lantern on it. It's been decided that he's our anniversary present to ourselves.

I was worried about bringing him home to the birds, but so far, all is well. He doesn't wake up when the birds are singing/screaming, and he doesn't bark in response. THANK GOODNESS! We're working on basic potty training and no biting. He's great on the leash, and I can tell he's going to be a great workout partner! Because he's such an odd mix, we have no idea how big he is going to get - this will prove interesting :)

Barking AHHH

2011-10-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

Guest post from: Steve Delaney

For some reason lately, my dog has started barking more than ever. The bark isn’t just a regular bark, it is a shrill. I swear it is loud enough to set off the HOME SECURITY SYSTEMS in the neighborhood! I am just waiting for a knock on the door for my neighbors to complain. When we first started barking like that he was doing it because he wanted in the house. Being an idiot, I let him in a few times when he barked. Now, he wants in the house all the time and barks non-stop. I have been trying to break him of the habit by not opening the door when he demands to get the house. It is so hard though. Eventually, I just give in because his barking drives me absolutely bonkers. I also get anxiety just thinking that the next random phone call is going to be from my neighbors complaining about his barking. I just don’t know what I am going to do! I really don’t want to put a barking collar on him, but I think I may just have to!

PCOS Awareness 5K - Houston TX, Sept 25

2011-10-03T15:14:00.000-05:00

I've been gone for the past week and a half, so I haven't done any blogging. I've got so much to talk about! For the sake of my sanity and yours, I'm scheduling several posts to release throughout the week, instead of posting them all at once :)

Two big things happened this past week: PCOS 5K in Houston TX and... we got a dog! His name is Spike, and he's a black lab/pomeranian mix. Pics and more details to come tomorrow!

As for the 5K, hosted by the PCOS Foundation, it was fantastic. To be honest, I didn't think I was going to make it. I don't usually make it more than one lap around the pond at the park, and it's only 4/10ths of a mile. This was over 3 miles!

The walk was along the Sabine-to-Bagby Promenade in downtown Houston. It was a beautiful location, and I enjoyed taking pictures as much as I did walking. There were over 100 runners and at least 150 walkers. I was not expecting such a huge turnout, but it was fantastic! Can't wait to try and get one going in Dallas!

Eating Healthy with Spry!

2011-09-28T03:43:00.000-05:00

As any of my readers know, I love recipes. I'm always on the hunt for my next favorite dish, whether it be gluten free, raw, vegan, etc. I was recently introduced to SpryLiving.com and I wanted to share it with you. It is the online community that goes hand-in-hand with a newspaper distributed magazine.

When you first visit SpryLiving.com, you are greeted with a user-friendly page. The colors are calm, and I love the background image of clouds. The font is clear and easy to read. It is a picture heavy site, so it takes a little longer to load on slower connections, but I did not find it bothersome. I am usually not a fan of the dropdown menus like this because they tend to switch to different tabs on accident. This one, however, did not. I am impressed with the programmer(s) behind this interface :)

I particularly like the healthy eating section, obviously. They have dozens of articles for a wide range of people, from help navigating college cafeterias to recipes that help fight cancer. I couldn't help but read this article - Great Gluten-Free Sweets. The two recipes I am most excited to try are for GF Banana Bread and Carrot Cake. Yummy :) I'm also going to find some veggie recipes I can use with produce I get from the farmer's market this weekend!

SpryLiving.com has a weekly eNewsletter you can sign up for, as well as connections to all the major social networks. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Impromptu Dinner Party!

2011-09-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

Last Friday I decided to call up Talon and invite her, as well as Ooka and Starr, over for dinner. I was in the mood to cook, so I needed people to share it with. I apologize in advance for my poor food photography skills. I really need to work on that. Any recommendations how to take better food pics?

The Menu:

- Italian Mozzarella Meatballs

- Parmesan Pesto Roasted Brussels Sprouts

- Garlic Mushrooms and Asparagus

- Beefy Quinoa

- Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Pineapple

Italian Mozzarella Meatballs
Ingredients
12 tbsp gluten free italian breadcrumb mix
2 lbs grass-fed, organic ground beef
1.5 cup ketchup
1 large free-range egg
1 cup shredded italian blend or mozzarella cheese

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together. Using an ice-cream scoop, form the meat into balls and place on a large edged cookie sheet. Bake for 15 - 25 minutes, depending on the size.

Beefy Quinoa
My mom bought me a rice cooker last month, and I have fallen in love. Never again will I cook grains/seeds on the stove. But if you don't have a rice cooker, that's ok. Put 1 part quinoa into 2 parts beef broth in a large saucepan. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through - see picture for example. It's difficult to describe.

Parmesan Pesto Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
1-2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tbsp EVOO
4 tbsp Parmesan Pesto Sprinkle from Savory Spice Shop
Optional: Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350. Toss brussels sprouts in olive oil and parmesan pesto seasoning and put mix into a baking dish. Roast for 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until brussels sprouts start to get crispy on the outside. Remove from oven and serve with optional extra parmesan cheese!

Garlic Mushrooms and Asparagus
Ingredients
1-2 pounds asparagus, washed and trimmed
1/2 pound cremeni mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup beef broth
2 tbsp EVOO

Directions
Saute garlic in large skillet on medium heat with EVOO. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until soft. Add asparagus and beef broth. Cover, reduce to medium heat and steam for 10-15 minutes, or until aspargus is cooked to your liking. (I like them just a little crunchy)

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Pineapple
I melt my chocolate in the microwave. It's really easy to do, the trick is to do it slowly. Usually I fill a coffee cup halfway with dark chocolate chips, microwave for 40 seconds, stir. If it's not completely melted, add another 10-20 seconds in the microwave, then stir again. Keep doing this until chocolate is melted.

I chopped a pineapple into bite size chunks, sliced the tops off the strawberries, and arranged on a large pan.I spooned the melted chocolate into a sandwich bag, snipped off a small corner, ans piped the chocolate over the fruit. This is easier than dipping - especially with the pineapple. It is wet, so the chocolate doesn't stick very well. When piped, it does.

Everyone loved dinner that night, and of course dessert was the biggest hit.

Japanese Gardens and a Camera Phone

2011-09-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

James took me to the Farmer's Market last week. It was all part of a bribe - if he took me to the farmer's market, we could go out for breakfast and go to a new store he'd been wanting to check out. Latte Da Dairy, my fave goat cheese dairy, was having a sale at the market that day, and I was willing to do anything to go.After stopping at Waffle House, we headed to the farmer's market. I picked up kalamata olive feta and mango tango chevre from Latte Da Dairy, beautiful purple eggplants, a bushel of black-eyed peas (in the shell!) and spicy pork tamales. We then realize that we have an hour to kill before his store opens, so we decide to head over to the Japanese Garden at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. I have had a year membership to since April and just now used it. As we are parking, I realize I don't have my camera, and I'm ticked. But I decide to make the best of it and use James' phone. It actually takes decent pictures.

James, rocking his "I Wear Teal For My Wife" PCOS Awareness shirt, feeds fish on the stepping stones

I love having photos of the two of us to remember trips :)

We also went to a garage sale where I picked up a new yoga DVD which I LOVE - Sara Ivanhoe's Yoga 20-min Makeover - Flat Abs. James got to go to his store, too.The funny part of this whole story - I had my camera the whole time. It was under my seat in the car, where I had hid it earlier in the week.

Gluten Free Eggplant and Tomato Pizza

2011-09-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

Gluten Free Eggplant and Tomato Pizza
Ingredients
4 small or 1 large eggplant
8 large Roma tomatoes
4 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp basil
1 small can tomato paste
salt to taste
1/2 batch Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Dough
1 cup Italian blend or mozzarella cheese
Optional - add roasted peppers to taste

Directions
Cut 'X' in each tomato and drop in boiling water for one minute. Remove from water and transfer to bowl of ice water. Allow to cool. While the tomatoes are cooling, slice the eggplant into small, bite-size strips. Saute garlic in olive oil in skillet, then add eggplants, sauteing till brown. Peel skin off tomatoes and dice. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and tomato sauce to eggplant mixture, (add roasted peppers if desired) mix and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix should be thick but pourable, like spaghetti sauce. Pre-bake the GF Pizza Dough according to package instructions. Remove eggplant and tomato mixture from stove and spread onto pizza dough. Top with cheese and bake the crust again according to package instructions. Enjoy!

Sadly I do not have pictures :( Nonetheless, it did get rave reviews from my mom, my hubby, and our friends, Ooka and Talon!

Labor Day Picnic at the Park

2011-09-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

Finally! The weather is cooling down and we can go walking again! Labor Day was the first awesome day, so we picked up BBQ, had a picnic at the park, then walked around the pond. I'm glad I had my camera, because you have to see how bad this Texas drought is with your own eyes.Thankfully, though, it poured last night. It's not nearly enough to pull us out of the drought, but it's a start.

10 feet off the shore, the geese are standing in the water, not swimming.

This is the waterline on the opposite end of the pond.

We aren't allowed to swim in the pond, but we can stand in it!

What's Your Song? Thursday - Sept 1, 2011

2011-09-01T16:26:00.000-05:00

There are two big things going on this week for our little family. We have grown larger by one more featherbaby, Mona. She is an adorable little parakeet with the most unusual watercolor markings. The picture I posted really doesn't do her justice, but it's the best one I could get.

It's also September, which means PCOS Awareness Month! I made a couple of profile pics for Facebook, and welcome anyone to use them! If you would like a custom ribbon text, I can do that for 50 cents. 25 cents will be donated to inCyst Research Institute in CA. Just email me at wallacedesigns (at) gmail (dot) com with your paypal email and your choice of text up to 14 characters (including spaces), and I'll send you a paypal invoice for 50 cents. As soon as I receive payment, I'll send the picture!

Oh yeah, isn't it time for a song? Well... how about some beautiful Nat King Cole? Here's Mona Lisa

Want to join us and share your song? Head to Amber's beautifully newly updated blog, Goodnight Moon and link up! And enter her awesome giveaway while you're at it!

My featherbaby, Squeaks :)

2011-08-26T03:33:00.000-05:00

I'm glad that Stress Free Infertility is doing a Furry Friday Friend Link Up. I need some cuteness to brighten my day. I don't have a furbaby, I have a featherbaby. His name is Squeaks, and he's a Green Cheeked Conure (GCC). He's smart as a whip, with a smart-ass attitude to boot :) He won't curl up in your lap like a cat, but he'll sit on your shoulder and snuggle up under your hair. He wears bells as hats, plays dead when he doesn't think he's getting enough attention, and attacks dots of light from laser pens. He cries 'Mama' in his gravelly, almost undecernable voice when I'm not in the house. He gets mad at Daddy if he doesn't get a belly rub every morning. He wakes up on the wrong side of the bed if he doesn't get 12 hours of sleep. He believes he should never have a clean water bowl, and the water faucet is evil - he expresses his opinion quite vocally :)

In June 2009, we decided we wanted to get a GCC. With our infertility issues, birds were/are much cheaper than kids. We had fallen in love with Houdini, a GCC at a local pet store. Houdini crawled up on my shoulder and fell asleep on multiple occasions, and he didn't do that with any other customers. When we finally had the money, we went to the pet store. We were 2 hours late. Someone had purchased Houdini. I was heartbroken. Then we were told we could special order a GCC baby from the breeder, and the store would wean it for us. They said it would be a great bonding experience, because we could come in and see him, play with him and hold him all we wanted. So we did. When we first saw him, he was a pitiful little bird with gray fluffy feathers. And it was love at first sight. All the noise he could muster was this high-pitched squeak. It was the perfect name for him, and he seemed to like it. Those gray feathers were soon replaced with every color in the rainbow. He's a little over 2 years old now, still a baby really, since parrots live 20-45 years. There have been times when I wish he had a mute button, would keep his water bowl clean for just a few hours, or didn't have a secret desire to be a vampire. But even when he drives me crazy, I love him. He really is my child, and I'm glad Houdini wasn't available.

Want to show off your furbaby or featherbaby? Head over to the Stress Free Infertility blog and link up!

Changing Scents

2011-08-26T02:04:00.003-05:00

In my circle of friends, cigarettes are a hot button issue. Zim smokes, as does James. Jayxe, however, has no interest in them whatsoever, and I just quit. I have been contemplating introducing the 'Smoke Outside' rule, but until the weather cools down, that would just be mean of me. Zim bought an e-cigarette recently, and it inspired me to do some research into them for James.

The electronic cigarette, A.K.A. e-cig, is a small, cigarette-shaped electronic device that emits a nicotine-laced vapor when inhaled. There is no tobacco, tar or carbon monoxide. There is no second-hand smoke. There's no odor! The money that it could potentially save us would be fantastic, also.

I spent some time at http://www.safecig.com, a company which claims to have the Best Electronic Cigarette. I do not back up this claim, simply because I have not tried the product. The website itself is fairly simple to navigate, although the main page may seem cluttered by the 'As Seen on' logos. The font is clear, and the colors are easy on the eyes.

If I decide to purchase this, I'm most interested in the Starter Kit Pro. For $89.95, you get 2 e-cigarette batteries, 2 chargers, and a 5 pack of refill cartridges. We bought an e-cigarette for my mother-in-law last year, and spent over $100 for comparable product, so the price already seems better. I only have one concern so far - I cannot seem to find anywhere on the website that discusses how long a refill cartridge lasts. At $12.50 for a set of 5 cartridges, this is still cheaper than buying real cigarettes, but I'm curious as to how often I would be buying them. I've seen comments in the reviews about how long the cartridges last, but I would like to know what is (or isn't) advertised.

It sure would be nice to have a cleaner-smelling home, without having to force the hubby outside in the heat :) If you'd like to check this product out for yourself, visit the Safe Cig website, http://www.safecig.com.

Disclaimer: I have been paid for this review. All opinions are completely my own, based on my review of the website/product.

What's Your Song? Thursday Link Up!

2011-08-25T15:11:00.001-05:00

This week is a little happier than last week :) My sister is finally in town to help us work on our latest venture, making ugly things pretty. Still don't have a company name, but we'll figure it out sooner or later. This is the ringtone I have for my mom and my sister! Here's Sister Sledge with We Are Family.

Join the link-up at Amber's blog and check out her giveaway!

GLUTEN FREE chocolate heaven in a cup

2011-08-21T18:06:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you just have to have chocolate, right? Last weekend a couple of friends of ours came over to hang out for their birthday. As the end of the day was nearing, I realized that they didn't get any birthday cake. *I'll pause for you to gasp like I did :)* I made sure they liked chocolate, then proceeded to make them a birthday cake! The best part - besides the cake itself - it only takes a couple of minutes to cook, in the MICROWAVE!!! Enjoy drooling over the picture, then make one for yourself! You won't regret it!

(I topped this one with chocolate dipped strawberries to make it pretty)

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake in A Mug:

Ingredients:
4 tbsp almond flour
4 tbsp honey powder (or sugar/powdered sugar substitute)
2 tbsp cocoa powder (the darker the better)
1 egg
3 tbsp milk (I use chocolate hemp milk. almond milk is also really good)
3 tbsp flax oil (various oils can be substituted)
1/2 tsp GF vanilla extract
3 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
In small bowl, mix all dry ingredients well. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Mix in wet ingredients until smooth. Add 3 tbsp chocolate chips if you really like chocolate! Pour batter into a greased oversized coffee mug and microwave for 2:40-3:00 minutes. It will be done when the cake pulls away from the side of the mug and is spongy to the touch. Allow to cool for 1-2 min, remove from cup and enjoy! Makes enough for 2, if you want to share :)

What's Your Song? Thursday - Aug 18, 2011

2011-08-18T01:09:00.001-05:00

Stressed out this week. Busy and exhausted. I've been singing Annie to keep myself happy. I like this video, because it's so interesting to see how Annie was cast over the years in various countries. Enjoy!

Join the link-up at Amber's blog and checl out her giveaway!

Running on empty

2011-08-18T01:00:00.000-05:00

Who knew that taking time off from work could be so exhausting? This week I have been working with my mom to get some stuff made so we can finally start selling. After 3 trips to Joann fabrics and hours in the sewing room, we still have nothing. I often listen to my mom complain about what it's like to live with my grandparents, who are slowly going senile. It's one thing to listen, but to actually be there all day every day and actually watch everything she complains about makes me want to go home and hide in bed. I love my family, but sometimes they can over-react, especially my mom. I've played mediator this week, and I'm not sure I'm doing anything except stressing myself out.

But I still have some hope. We received the anti-static bags we've been waiting for, so James and I can tear down the servers taking up so much of my dining room and get them to a friend to sell this weekend. Besides another trip to the fabric store to get ribbon, I don't think we have any more shopping to do before we actually get all of our pouf ottomans and t-shirt shrugs ready for sale this weekend as well. We had some major setbacks with both the ottomans and the shrugs, but I think we have overcome them and tomorrow will go much better. Here's to hoping.

Thankfully I've been able to enjoy parts of this week - there are two hummingbirds fighting for the feeder in my grandmother's backyard. They've been pretty entertaining. I've also enjoyed getting addicted to tennis on Wii Sports. James and I can kick some computer butt :)

Trying to deal with my kids growing up

2011-08-15T17:47:00.000-05:00

Guest post written by Ben Hughes

I'm really attached to my kids. They're not even that old yet though and it feels like they're growing up so fast on me! Our oldest one is starting kindergarten this year and I think that she's really going to love it. But it's going to be hard one me, my wife and the younger kids when she's not at the house all the time now.

I really went online to find some resources for myself about how to deal with it personally, but then I thought that it might be good to also find some tips on how the kids could deal with it. While I was looking online for that, I ran across the site CLEAR-INTERNET.com. I showed it to my wife and after that we decided to change over our home internet service to it.

I did find a bit of parenting advice. I think the best advice that I found was to relax because there are still lots of other firsts to worry about along the way. I thought that was pretty good, so I'm taking it to heart.

Sabbatical - Week 2 Checkin

2011-08-08T18:03:00.000-05:00

I've been a pretty crappy blogger this past week. I figured that I would blog more since I had more time, but that obviously wasn't the case. I started my sabbatical a week ago. I worked out M-Th last week, then did a lot of walking around garage sales with my mom on Friday. The weekend, though, was useless. I didn't do anything. I ate fairly well, if you don't count the pizza we ordered last night, and the nachos at Movie Tavern. I've been pretty mad at myself, because even though I've done a lot of working out, the scale has gone up even more. I've really got to get back on track with my diet and get rid of the Veggie Stix (veggie flavored potato sticks.) Of course I say this as I wait for my GF cinnamon raisin bread to rise so I can stick it in the oven.

I didn't do Fat Ass Friday this week because the scale said 243. It just made me want to cry. I decided to wax my chin this week (Excess hair is a major problem with PCOS), and now I have a golf-ball sized patch of flaky, red skin on my chin, along with hair that didn't get ripped out. I tried a mask from Central Market to soothe the skin, but to no avail.

But we have been doing some good things around the house. We bought two cute black bar stools to go with the table I bought a few months ago. The table attaches to the wall, and can be folded down when not in use. We're going to stain it with a dark cherry. I'm going to re-upholster the seats of the chairs to a darker color so they don't look dirty all t he time. We've also started picking up the mess in the dining room so we can start using it again. As soon as the dining room is clean, my mom and I will start doing some of our refurbishing projects to make some extra money. We have serving trays to decorate, poof ottomans to sew together, an adorable rocking horse to stain and other little craft projects. I'll post pictures as we proceed :)

So this week I want to ramp up the exercise, focus more on the diet, and get some projects done!

Sabbatical - The Plan

2011-08-03T03:31:00.000-05:00

Monday was officially the first day of my 2-3 month sabbatical. I decided that I needed to take a break for my health after my employment contract ended. I want to focus on getting more exercise, losing weight, and starting to feel better as a whole. I also decided that I needed to quit smoking. Although I had drastically cut back in the past few months, smoking no more than 3-4 a day, down from 10. I stopped Friday.

Here's the plan:

Breakfast - Fruity Hemp Protein Smoothie, Supplements
Exercise - Up to one hour of exercise, at least 20 minutes.
After workout snack - 5 min quinoa flake bake. Flavor depends on the fruit in the house, and the matching recipe from one of my favorite blogs: Healthful Pursuit. These are absolutely fantastic, and so versatile!
Lunch - Yummy salad, ingredients dependent on the produce in the house, topped with a gluten-free dressing, Supplements
Exercise - Up to one hour of exercise, at least 20 minutes.
After workout snack - Nut and granola bar
Dinner - A delicious dinner, gluten free and low carb.

So far things have been going fairly well. I found a great new game called ExerBeat. I really like it because it has a ton of different exercises. Even better, though, it has a story line. I was in shock. A workout game with a story? How unusual is that? In this game, you accrue miles for the time you have worked out. Those miles are used in the story line to move your character around the world.

I've worked out for an hour each day, and haven't eaten anything too terribly bad for me. I've cleaned the kitchen, done a few loads of laundry, and overall felt relaxed. The ability to relax is really important to me right now, as I feel that I haven't been able to do that since I started working. The hubby and I have been putting puzzles together every night :) It's been fun getting to enjoy something like that with him - when I was working we'd just watch tv together.

The only problem I am now encountering has to do with my teeth. The far back right side of my mouth hurts really bad. It only happens at night, when I'm trying to sleep. I'm in so much pain that I can't sleep (Hence the reason I'm finishing this post at 3 am...) I'm currently waiting for tylenol to kick in so I can get some rest. So far, from the research I have done, it could be one of several things - Nicotine withdrawal, a new side effect of my anti-depressants, TMJ, or wisdom teeth. I've ruled out wisdom teeth because it doesn't hurt all the time, and I don't grind my teeth, so it's not likely TMJ. I've been on this anti-depressant now for almost 2 months, and this just started 2 days ago, so it's likely nicotine withdrawal. I guess since it's the only withdrawal symptom I'm having I should be happy, but it's hard when it hurts so much.

Well, I'm going to try to get some sleep now. I have a 10% off coupon for my local farmer's market tomorrow, but I have to use it between 9 am and 1 pm. I need some sleep so I can be productive! Tomorrow's tasks - farmer's market, more laundry and hopefully some more house cleaning!

Mom's Place

2011-08-01T01:32:00.005-05:00

Thanks for the article from Jermaine Haynes

My mom loves where she lives but she’s a little bit more a free spirit than me. She’s out on this old ranch house in the plains and she’s a bit more removed than I’d like her to be but she says it’s all the better for a nice, peaceful life. She also has three dogs and it does give them a lot of room to run around, I suppose. I helped her get the house fixed up when she first bought it after dad died and we did a lot to it. Put in new hardwood floors, installed a skylight and even went to TexasElectricityPROVIDERS.com to make sure her rates were as low as they could be. She spends most of her time in the barn we converted into an art studio and she generally seems happy as a clam being out there on her own really living off the land. She’s always been a bit of a strange bird, my mom, but I love her for everything she is and isn’t!

Want to win an entry into a weight loss challenge? I do!

2011-07-28T16:37:00.000-05:00

For the last 8-9 months, I've been participating in the Soul Cyster's Weight Loss Challenge, ran by Christina at Mrs. O's Life. I did great in the first one, and won 3rd place. This time, I totally failed. I'm just hoping I get lucky enough to show a 0.1 pound loss this weekend when I submit my final weigh-in. The next challenge starts on Monday. I really want to participate again, but don't have the money this time. Since tomorrow is my last day at work, paying for anything other than food, rent and utilities is pretty much out of the question right now. Thankfully Christina decided to do a giveaway for SCWLC entries. She's giving away to entries to the challenge, so I'm doing everything I can to have a better chance of winning!

Do you have PCOS and need to lose weight too? The entry fee is $20, and it starts Monday. I'm going to assume that late entries are allowed, since we did that for the current challenge. The giveaway for 2 free entries lasts through tomorrow, so you could win one, too! The giveaway is on her personal blog Mrs. O's Life. Here's the link for the challenge itself! Soul Cyster's Weight Loss Challenge

What's Your Song? Thursday Link Up!

2011-07-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday! And today is a good day. Besides it being What's Your Song? Thursday, I'm excited to show off a newly redesigned blog! I even have a legitimate domain name now! www.FightingPCOSNaturally.com! Don't worry, all the old links from my blogger name still work just fine. I am still doing a little tweaking to the colors of the fonts and headers, but this was publishable. I'm becoming a full-time blogger bext week, and in order to make money off of it, I had to incorporate ads. I'll do my best to keep them simple :)

Tomorrow is my last day at work. My contract is up, and I need time to focus on my health. Along with the new blogging venture, I plan on doing lots of crafty stuff, and EXERCISE! I have several new yoga workout games for the Wii, and I can't wait to try them out. I'm hoping to start out with 30min of exercise 2-3 times a day, then work up to 1+ hour twice a day, at least. I'll have plenty of free time, so I'm going 'Biggest Loser' on myself and working out as much as I can. Obviously if you are not physically inclined, it's necessary to start out slow and build up, so you don't hurt yourself. The goal is to lose 30-40 pounds by our anniversary on Halloween. That gives me a full 3 months. I totally believe it's possible :)

So here's my song for the week. I was trying to find something that related a little more to what's happening to me this week, but I was overthrown by my husband singing to me! He started singing All You Need Is Love, and I can't help but continue the Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge. Hands down, that's one of my top 4 favorite musicals! (The others being Chicago, Grease and Phantom of the Opera). So sing along if you know the words!

Do you want to join up with us? Head to Amber's blog, Goodnight Moon and link up!

Fat Ass Friday - July 22, 2011

2011-07-22T12:06:00.003-05:00

I skipped last week's Fat Ass Friday because I didn't like what the scale said. Well, I didn't like what it said this week, either, but then I realized something. I can't hold myself accountable if I ignore it. And I'm not helping anyone learn about PCOS if I don'tr share the real, honest truth, no matter how much it depresses me. Apparently I deleted the picture from my phone, so no scale pic today.

Starting weight: 233
Last week's weight (Two weeks ago): 234.4
Current weight: 240.0
Weight +GAIN / -LOSS this week: +5.6
Total weight lost: +7.0

I was the same this week as I was last week, and I want to cry. Granted, I'm not working out. I've failed part of my 21-day challenge again. However, just one more week before I become a stay-at-home whatever, and have plenty of time to work out. James understands how important this is for me, and he's supposed to be helping me work out more, now that I'll have more time to do it. I'm really hoping to work up to at least an hour of exercise a day - but I know I need to start out slow so I don't hurt myself.

This is a constant battle with PCOS. Just a week can make a huge difference. Et too many potato chips one day, and you're regretting it for weeks to come. Stop exercising, and it comes back.

I'm trying. Really, I am. I guess I'm just not trying hard enough. Here's hoping that next week goes better! Are you going to link up with us? Head to Brandy's blog You Don't Know, to link up!

Oh, just a side note - Happy 11th anniversary, Dad and Sherry!

e-mealz Shopping Trip #1

2011-07-21T12:45:00.001-05:00

Last night I went shopping with my e-mealz shopping list. I'm on the Low Carb Any Store for 2 plan. The average is supposed to be around $50. I would agree that $50 is about right for this list. However, I don't shop cheap. I buy organic, grass-fed beef and hormone free chicken. That increased my budget by about $20. I also bought a whole bunch of other stuff, like chips and salsa, extra fruits and veggies, and lunch stuff for James. I'll let you know next week if the recipes are as good as they osund :)

I would be super happy if we lived on a farm and I could raise my own chickens. I'm not sure it would save me a lot of money, but it would make me feel better. At least the money I'm spending on the meat I purchase now is going to local farms instead of store chains. I guess I need to start looking for homes for rent out in the country, where I can have some chickens. And goats. Why? Because goats are cute. They jump in the air and dance. How can you be stressed and worried when you have these little guys as entertainment?

I can't wait until we have some land.

What's Your Song? Thursday Link Up!

2011-07-21T11:27:00.003-05:00

Well, my contract with this company is up at the end of next week. I'm going to be working out A LOT, cooking more, cleaning and organizing the house, and getting some crafting done. My health is the most important thing right now. I have been stuck at the same weight for several months now, and it ticks me off. I need to start working out more and really focusing on what I eat. I'm also still in school, working on my Master's. Once I get my Master's, I can get a job teaching, which is what I would really like to do. I might have to get a part-time job during this hiatus, but that's not a big deal. I'd be happy with a part-time job that I enjoy - one that doesn't stress me out like this one. And you know what? I'm not stressing about losing my income. I'm relieved that I'm going to be doing something good for myself. It may be a little tight on cash for a while, but that's what coupons and sales are for. I also plan on selling some of my craft projects for extra cash too.

So this week's song is about being happy, no matter what bad things are going on in life. This is my grandfather's favorite song, and one of mine as well. I hope you enjoy! Here's Bobby McFarrin with Don't Worry, Be Happy.

Want to join the link up? Head over to Amber's blog, Goodnight Moon!

America's Got Talent - Silhouettes

2011-07-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

I'l be honest - I rarely talk about TV shows. Although I have my favorites, and ones that I just have to watch (like almost all the competition shows on Food Network!), I don't write about them. What we saw last night, though, is an exception.

James and I don't want America's Got Talent. But somehow, that's what we started watching last night, and the channel never got changed, even after the Justin Bieber lookalike performed. The very last performance of the night was from a group called The Silhouettes, from Denver, Colorado. They use a massive light and a screen to make shapes. You know how you used to make birds and dogs with your fingers and a flashlight? Yeah - that's kid stuff compared to this group. And their performance was amazing. They got all 10 of my votes. Check out the performance:

They even increased the size of their group by 4 people from the audition to the Hollywood performance. Here is their original audition (I liked last night's much better, but this was good too!):

So is it obvious who I'll be voting for?

Want to know more about them? Check out their website! The Rocky Mountain Silhouettes

Experimentation - e-mealz!

2011-07-18T12:13:00.000-05:00

So the next step I have taken in my weight loss journey is my new subscription to e-mealz.com. I have heard rave reviews about this company, anf for the low price of $5 a month, I decided it wouldn't hurt to try.

e-mealz is a subscription service that provides you with a menu plan for the week, as well as a shopping list (in most cases, with prices!) to help you shop. With the recent changes James and I are making to better take care of my health, I'm trying to save money anywhere I can. (Reducing stress does wonders for weight loss!) I waste a TON of money on food. I buy more than I need, and it goes bad. Not cool when you're on a budget. They have low carb, gluten free, and portion control menus, as well as regular, no limits menus. For those with kids, they have larger plans to feed more, and they have one for people like me, who only need to feed 2 people. The 2 people menu plans are budgeted to spend $30-$50 a week, and the larger, 4-6 people plans are $80-$100. All of these come for $1.25 a menu plan, on 3-month subscriptions. I signed up for the Low-Carb Any Store 2 Person plan. Sadly, the gluten free plan was only for 4-6 people, so I figured I'll just modify mine slightly when necessary to keep it gluten free.

I've decided that I am going to give this program 3 months - the length of one $15 subscription. The new menus are posted every Wednesday for me (different days for different plans, based on your store choice), the same day all the new sales start. I'm going to print the meal plan and shopping list and put it in a binder so I don't lose it. Once I have the list, I'm going to use it to find coupons to save even more money, then get shopping! Granted, these meal plans only provide dinner options, but I make smoothies for breakfast ad eat leftovers for lunch. If I make sure to make 3 servings for dinner, I can make my lunch for the next day. Perfect! As for the hubby, if he even eats during the day at all, he's perfectly content with Totino's pizzas and canned ravioli. He's so easy to please :)

I'll start Wednesday. This gives me some time to use what I have left in the fridge and freezer. Since I'm only going to be shopping for a week at a time, I need plenty of room in my fridge to hold everything - no need to freeze meat if I'm going to use it that fast. I'll post about my first experience shopping on Wednesday!

What's Your Song? Thursday Link Up!

2011-07-14T11:12:00.000-05:00

I walked into my office this morning, realized it was Thursday, and did a little dance :) I love the What's Your Song Thursday link up. Would it be weird to say that it gets me through the week? Probably, but I'll do it anyway!

This week I have been contemplating a serious change in my life. It would involve quitting my job, taking a few months to work on myself and my health, then working on finding something that will make me feel more fulfilled. This seems like a drastic change, and it is. I'm sick of IT. I don't want to sit in front of a computer all day. It's a partial cause of my back problems, my weight, and my stress - all of which I need a major break from. I'm still going to finish my Master's degree, because I want to be able to teach. I can teach IT once I graduate. But that's just a side thing. I've been looking into Nutritionist and Herbalist classes/certifications. Ever since I started to take control of my life and start fighting PCOS, I realized that there weren't really a whole lot of options for women like me - Women with no insurance, and women who don't want doctors to shove pills down their throats. I've made pretty much all of my decisions for treatment by myself based on tons of research. But not everyone is a research junkie like I am. I'd like to be able to help other people fight their problems like I have - with safe, natural supplements that are better in the long run than prescription medications.

So anyways, my song this week is based on my thought process for the week. It also just happens to be one of the greatest bands alive (IMHO). Here's Bon Jovi with It's My Life!

Want to join us for the link up? Head over to Amber's blog, Goodnight Moon!

Losing Hope

2011-07-11T13:23:00.000-05:00

It's time to cry again. Why? Because I talked to my coworker about babies. His wife has epilepsy, and is on the same medication that I'm on for my bipolar disorder. And what did I find out today? They are waiting until she is weaned off this medication before they start TTC, because carbamazipine almost completely inhibits the body's ability to process folic acid. And pretty much everbody knows that folic acid during pregnancy is UBER important. If the baby doesn't get enough, they are at increased risk for spinal and mental birth defects. I already knew that I was going to have to go off my depression meds, but my bipolar meds keep me from going psycho. James told me he never forgets to give me my pills because he remembers what I nightmare bitch I was before I was on them. Why do I have to deal with these problems? I'd like to go back in time, meet the person I was in a former life, and beat the living crap out of him/her, make them straighten up their lives so I don't have to deal with all this anymore. Wouldn't it be great if life was that easy? I'm deathly afraid of turning out like my mom - most days she can't get out of bed, even when she really wants to do something. I know that's the road I'm headed down.

So my point is for the safety of my unborn child, I'd have to stop taking my meds. At which point instead of just being a hormonal pregnant woman, I'd be a psychotic, potentially extremely depressed, hormonal woman. Fuck. I just wanted to be a mom. I'm getting to the point where I don't want that anymore. I don't want to subject a child to a life with a crazy mother, let alone subject them to all the potential birth defects and possible health conditions later in life - like all the shit I'm dealing with now. So I can adopt and just subject the child to a crazy mother, or live child-free. I don't think James would stay with me if I decided that I didn't want kids anymore.

Fat Ass Friday

2011-07-08T10:55:00.000-05:00

Starting weight: 233
Last week's weight: 237.6
Current weight: 234.4
Weight +GAIN / -LOSS this week: -3.2
Total weight lost: +1.4

It's days like this when I feel a little spring in my step. 3.2 pounds in 4 days. It's amazing what the right eating modifications will do. I'm trying to do my best not to say I'm on a diet. A 'diet' is temporary. This is a lifestyle change. I've been working on it for a while, then I slipped - back into drinking Dr. Pepper and eating junk food. It's not that I don't enjoy eating healthy. I love the food I'm eating. My problem is the depression and the back pain. When I'm too depressed to get off the couch, I can't cook. When I do get off the couch to cook, I end up in crippling pain after 10-15 of standing in front of the stove. And I have to eat something, right? Is something bad better than nothing at all?

I've been able to extend my cooking time by putting a squishy floor mat down, but only by a few minutes. Last night, while I was chopping pineapple and cantelope, it hit again. And it was BAD. It didn't start bad and get worse, it went straight to worse. I was fine one minute, and the next I was grabbing the edge of the counter to keep myself from hitting the floor. And my doctor has told me that he can't do anything for me, and I need to go to another doctor. I was also told not to even come back about this problem. How crappy is that?

Want to join in on the weight loss link up? Head over to Brandy's Page, You Don't Know to join!

What's Your Song? Thursday Link Up!

2011-07-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday! Yay!

So this week I've been experimenting in the bedroom :) Many moons ago, I remember a Home Improvement episode where Tim and Jill went on a 'vacation', and his bosses were shocked to hear that he didn't make love to Jill at least 5 times a week. I've always had that in the back of my mind. PCOS' affect on a woman's hormones really does a number in the bedroom. Some women have an almost insatiable desire, and others have almost none. I love s.ex, but haven't had a strong desire for it in a long time. I've been content to just a couple of days a week. Having only been married for a year and a half, and in a relationship for three and a half, I have this nagging feeling that a couple of times a week just isn't enough. So to go along with my 21-day challenge, I decided to start increasing the frequency :) I'm fairly certain that my hubby is shocked - since he's gotten lucky 3 nights in a row, in the MIDDLE OF THE WEEK! Did you know that s.ex can be fantastic exercise? If you don't believe me, check out this article from Fitness Magazine. And here's another juicy little secret - I love having good music in the background. I recently discovered 8tracks.com. People make playlists for all sorts of stuff, then upload them for others. It was here that I was introduced to such playlists as 'Between the Sheets' and 'Let's Skip the F**king Fore.play'. Now I listen to playlists while I'm working, take note of the ones I really like, and save them for later ;P

Here's one of my new favorite songs from the 'Let's Skip the F**king Fore.play' mix. I love the original version by Juvenile just as much as Ke$ha's new version - here's Slow Motion.

Want to join in the fun? Head over to Amber's blog, Goodnight Moon, to link up!

Just a side note, anything in bold is a link :)

21 Day Challenge - Take 2

2011-07-05T14:41:00.000-05:00

Ok, here we go again. I've already royally failed on the first 21-day challenge, and I'm only 14 days in. I've decided that I'm just going to stop it and restart. Here's the rules for take 2:

> Work out at least 15 min a day, 7 days a week. Alternate between yoga, step aerobics, and the fitness center so I don't get bored. Work out as soon as I get home from work M-F so I don't get lazy on the couch and skip it.
> No sodas.
> No junk food, i.e. Doritos, cookies, cheese dip, etc.
> No fast food - unless it's Subway and gluten free.

21 days to the new me officially starts now. Breakfast this morning was good for me, and so is lunch, so I can start today. :)

Photo Credit

Fat Ass Friday (So pissed that it took 4 days to post.)

2011-07-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

Starting weight: 233
Current weight: 237.6
Weight +GAIN / -LOSS this week: +4.6
Total weight lost: +4.6

This is why I hate PCOS. And my lack of motivation. I gained 4.6 pounds in one week. And that's solely from splurging on one day. Not the whole week, just ONE DAY. Sunday was ZOMBIE FEST. One of our nieces is leaving for college in 2 days, and she hadn't seen any of the Resident Evil movies. We fixed that. I had planned on making good munchies, but I got lazy. I decided I'd rather watch the movies than hang out in the kitchen, cooking. So we had donuts, cookies, Totino's pizza and cheese dip. For those of you on Weight Watchers, did you know a Totino's party pizza is 17 points? Yeah. Ouch. Oh, and I had a honey bun yesterday. They looked so good. I said I wanted one, then my hubby said "NO. Your splurge day was Sunday. You can't have one." So I decided not to have one. Then I said, "But I really want a honey bun." and he gave in. Crap. Still don't have him trained. But we are getting there lol :)

Except for ZOMBIE FEST and the honey bun, I ate very healthy. Lots of fruits and veggies, as well as lean meats. I also made some GF bread, which was awesome with slices of pot roast made Friday. Obviously I can't have splurge days. They just set me too far back in this whole weight loss thing. I can picture myself skinny. I remember what it was like in high school. I was pretty, enjoyed life, and had plenty of friends to spend time with. PCOS has robbed me of a normal life. I'm fighting infertility and weight problems while suffering from bipolar disorder and depression. It's a vicious cycle that I want so desperately to break, but have yet to pull it off. I was doing great for the first couple of months, but the last 2-3 have been rough. I've got to start working out again. I have to restart my 21 days, because I totally failed already. I am going to modify my goals. So be on the lookout for the new 21 day challenge post.

Do you want to participate in Fat Ass Friday's? Head over to Brandy's blog and link up!

Woohoo! More giveaways :)

2011-06-30T15:01:00.001-05:00

It's time for giveaway blogs again! Yay! I'm really excited about the ones I have found this week.

Woodland Belle Tiny Twig Pins from Laura DeLuca
I'll be the first to admit, my hairpin collection is small. Okay, okay, pretty much non-existent. I've got plenty of clippies, but really cute hairpins are hard to come by. At least until Laura at Laura DeLuca introduced me to Woodland Belle. I love all things related to nature (which reminds me, I really need to post a picture of my evergrowing sweet potato vine - it's gorgeous!) Woodland Belle has 4 different collections, all of which are handcrafted by Mai McKemy. She does fantastic work, and you have a chance to win these amazing Tiny Twig hairpins! I also wanted to show off my favorite item, the Tiny Woodland Terrarium Mushroom and Blue Morpho Butterfly Necklace, which I hope to purchase soon :) Stop by Laura's blog, Laura DeLuca, to enter the giveaway, and check out Woodland Belle's site, Woodland Belle, to see all Mai has to offer!

Polaroid My Memories Suite from Got Love, Been Married, now where the hell's the baby carriage?

As someone fighting infertility, I am drawn to other bloggers dealing with the same thing. After reading the title of her blog, Got Love, Been Married, now where the hell's the baby carriage?, I knew I had to stop and read. Jenn and her husband have decided to adopt after some heartbreaking losses. My hubby and I have also been talking about adoption if using donor sperm doesn't work. Everything I have read talks about the Family Profile/Essay/Scrapbook. It goes by many names, but it's essentially the same thing. It's a book to introduce you to potential birth mothers. I have thought about doing actual scrapbooking, but then it hit me - if I have to make more than one, that'll take forever. Well, that's where digital scrapbooking comes in. Jenn used Polaroid's My Memories Suite, and she raves about it. In fact, she's doing a giveaway! Yay! So head over to Jenn's blog, Got Love, Been Married, now where the hell's the baby carriage?, and enter!

**My blogger template doesn't show links well. All names and titles in bold are also links.**

Crying happy tears

2011-06-30T12:33:00.000-05:00

I don't normally blog several times in a single day, but I couldn't help myself today. I found a new blog to love, Hybrid Rasta Mama. I've never met this woman, but she is pretty much everything I want to be when I'm a mom. All-natural, patient, loving, and happy. As I was perusing her posts, I was drawn to one called Real Men Wear Babies. I had to read it. As I was looking at all the pictures of dads wearing their babies, I couldn't help but think of my hubby. I've often joked that we are going to have to have twins because I'm probably never going to want to put my baby down. After seeing this, and realizing just how cute James will be wearing our baby, I think I might share. Enjoy all the wonderful pictures Hybrid Rasta Mama has on her blog, Real Men Wear Babies!

Oh, and here is James with one of our nieces :) (It's hard to believe she's already 2 and a half years old)

What's Your Song? Thursday Link-up!

2011-06-30T11:19:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite genres of music is reggae. When I started using last.fm for music at work, I was introduced to reggae from different countries - because it's not just Bob Marley and Jamaica. I'm particularly fond of German and Polish reggae. Oh yes, it exists. And wait until you hear it! It always puts me in a happy, bouncy, good mood. How about you?

This is Ohrbooten, Und-Tschüss!

Want to join the link up? Head over to Amber's blog, Goodnight Moon! It's so much fun!

How to Lose Weight with PCOS

2011-06-29T12:48:00.000-05:00

Let me preface this by saying I am not a doctor. What I say is solely based on personal experience and tons of research. If you try something I suggest and it doesn't work, don't hold it against me, please. Our bodies are individually unique, and what works for some doesn't work for others. (Oh, and I think I'm also supposed to say that you should consult your physician before starting a new diet or exercise regimen.)

The first thing you should know when trying to lose weight is whether or not you have Insulin Resistance (IR). There are a few tests that can be run by your doctor. One is the fasting glucose test, which checks your blood sugar levels after a long fast - typically overnight. Another one is the Glucose Tolerance Test, where they give you some yucky liquid to drink, then test your blood sugar at 1 and 2 hours post drinking. HOWEVER - not all women with Insulin Resistance can be diagnosed through these tests. We're just weird like that. A good sign of insulin resistance is the lack of menstruation and high levels of testosterone, which can be visible in the form of excess hair, especially on the chin, or male-pattern balding. I'll admit, I did not go to a doctor to diagnose my IR. I performed the test on my own, with a blood sugar monitor. I watched my blood sugar levels after different foods, and saw that I had higher levels for longer periods of time when I consumed simple carbs or sugars.

Ok, so we know now if you have IR or not. Next step, are you gluten intolerant? This is a little tricky to figure out as well. It's rumored that up to 85% of all women with PCOS have some form of gluten or wheat sensitivity. Do you have intestinal problems? This is a little TMI, so skip this paragraph if you don't want to hear this (although I'd suggest suffering through it, because it's really important!)- I spent the last 5-6 years thinking diarrhea was normal. It wasn't like I had to stay by the restroom constantly, but anytime I did need to visit the restroom, I had diarrhea. I seriously thought that was normal, because I had lived with it for so long. I decided to take the gluten sensitivity test, and BAM! No more diarrhea. Seriously. I've been trying really hard to stick to a gluten-free diet for over a month now, and I have had normal BMs. I never thought I would be so happy about the consistency of my poop.

So how do I do take the gluten sensitivity test? It's simple, although you have to be very strict about it for 2 weeks. Eliminate all gluten from your diet. That means no wheat, barley or rye. (This can also include oats that are processed in the same facility as wheat.) This doesn't mean you have to stop eating carbs. Actually, that defeats the purpose of the test, because you don't want to see how your body reacts without carbs, you want to see how it reacts without gluten. Try your hand at baking a loaf of gluten-free bread. If you can make a cake, you can make bread. I personally recommend Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Hearty Whole Grain Bread Mix. I love rye bread, but can't have it because of the gluten. This bread mix tastes JUST LIKE RYE. It's... AWESOME. (especially with swiss cheese and turkey slices) If you like pasta, see if you can find Quinoa Elbows. I get them in the bulk section at Central Market, and my hubby can't tell the difference. And yes, this test also means that you have to give up any grain alcohol and beer. It is possible to only have a wheat sensitivity, but not barley or rye. In this case, you'd simply cut out wheat products.

Alright - Now that we know if you have IR and/or a gluten sensitivity. What should you do now? As with any diet, watch your fat intake.
> The next step is to eliminate simple, refined carbs and sugars.
   - Switch from white rice to brown rice. If you are feeling particularly crafty, get a cauliflower and grate it, then substitute it for rice. I've done this on many occasions, and it is fantastic! Better yet, you don't have to cook it. And did you know that you can get green, orange and purple cauliflower? I like using the orange when I'm making a Mexican dish, and purple when I'm just feeling weird :)
   - Switch to whole-grain pasta, unless you are gluten intolerant, in which case I would suggest checking out the gluten free section of your grocery store for pastas. Or switch to spaghetti squash! When cooked, the inner flesh peels away like strands of spaghetti. My husband loves it! We haven't had actual spaghetti in several months.
   - Shy away from potatoes and corn. These have high amounts of simple carbs. This does put some gluten free products on the 'limit' list, because they use potato starch and corn flour.
   - Experiment with new grains, like quinoa, millet and amaranth. I have to admit, one of the best things about my PCOS diagnosis was being forced in to trying new things. I have learned to cook so many more things that I like a whole lot more than what I was eating before. Eating healthy makes me feel better, mentally and physically.

Photo Credit

- Start enjoying fruits and veggies! Yes, fruits have sugar and carbs, but they are naturally occuring. As long as you aren't eating an ungodly amount of fruit, you should be okay. This is where my love of farmer's markets come in. You can get beautiful, fresh from the farm, organic fruits and veggies. Better yet, you are supporting local farmers instead of large chains. Long live the American Dream! Are you a chocolate fanatic? Try melting just a little bit of chocolate and dipping strawberries or pineapple in it. Slowly reduce the amount of chocolate you use until you are just eating the fruits! Yay you!
- Make sandwiches a lot? Try a gluten-free bread from your own oven or low-carb tortillas!
I'll be honest, I could probably continue writing for hours, and still not be done. That's the fun of changing your diet! There is so much you can do differently, so many new foods to try. Enjoy the opportunity!

I can't forget to discuss exercise. *boo hiss* I hate that word, exercise. Even when I was skinny I hated it. I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma in 9th grade, so finding physical activities that would help me lose weight were difficult, for a while. Here's how I work out - > Yoga. Oh, I love yoga. It has done wonders for my body. It's such a relaxing workout. I have several different yoga DVDs I use, but I mainly use my Wii Fit. It tells me if I'm doing the poses correctly, which is awesome. I prefer Hatha Yoga as opposed to a flow Yoga. Hatha Yoga focuses on a single pose at a time, where as a flow yoga, such as Vinyasa Yoga, transitions quickly from one pose to another. With my asthma, flow yoga is too fast-paced for me, and I have to rely on my inhaler to get through a session. With Hatha Yoga, I focus on each pose and have plenty of time to breathe.

Photo Credit

> Walking. From fall to spring, I love walking around the pond at a local park. The ducks are always out, and we take food with us to feed them. In the spring, the baby ducks start showing up, and it's just adorable to watch all of them. This past spring, we found a duck we lovingly named Michelle, who had 18 babies! (All of the pictures except or the last one in this post are of Michelle and her babies: Michelle) In the summer, because it's so hot here in Texas, I like indoor walking tracks. You can also walk around the mall, but I was born with the inherent need to spend money, so the mall is bad for me :)
> Swimming. Ok, I'll admit I hate going out in public in a swimsuit right now, so I don't do this often. But swimming is great exercise without a lot of strain. Ok, I don't mean sitting in a pool. I mean actually doing laps, or using weights.
> The trick with exercise is to find something you enjoy. Check out your local rec center and see what classes they offer. Zumba is a very fast-paced, dance fitness program that is super fun! My local YMCA has pilates classes as well. Want to do something really off the wall and sexy? Take a stripperobics class.

Have fun and enjoy yourself as those excess pounds start going away!

(I realize that there are no links to articles and research. I will be compiling those and updating this page later, I promise.)

Fat Ass Friday (on Saturday!)

2011-06-25T13:02:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I'm a day late, but better late than never! I decided that I wanted to start participating in a blog link up called Fat Ass Friday on Brandy's blog, You Don't Know.

Starting weight: 233
Current weight: 233
Weight +GAIN / -LOSS this week: +0.0
Total weight lost: 0

In all honesty, I was dreading my first weigh in, because at the end of the last Soul Cyster's Challenge, I weighted 235.8, and I haven't been any lower than that in 2 months. Even with diet changes and my attempts to workout, I gained weight. Well, to my surprise, I have finally lost weight! And I'm super excited about it, because I ate my favorite munchie food last night - Salsa Verde Doritos and all natural sour cream. And when I start eating it, I eat a lot.

I also decided that even though I have technically lost over 25 pounds since I started in Nov 2010, I wanted to start with a fresh weight for FAF.

If you want to join up with us, head over to Brandy's blog!

What's Your Song? Thursday Link-up!

2011-06-23T22:06:00.002-05:00

I almost forgot it was Thursday. I have a recurring cyst on my tailbone, and it came back, so I spent the day at the doctor. Taking a day off work in the middle of the week really screws up my internal schedule.

Today's song is one that my hubby started singing to me today. We were leaving the pharmacy, and he told me to walk in front, and he'd follow me. Then he started singing. It's been stuck in my head ever since. I love it when he sings to me :)

Here's Carole King's Where You Lead.

If you want to join up, head over to Goodnight Moon's blog!

More about my smoothies :)

2011-06-22T12:40:00.001-05:00

A week or two ago I posted about my morning smoothies. (Link: Smoothies!) They have been really good, but I knew they were missing something. Then it hit me - PROTEIN! I was getting no protein in the mornings because I was just drinking a lot of fruit. I hopped on Amazon and found Hemp Protein Powder and Hemp Oil by Nutiva.


Click on the pictures to make them bigger

I've really been on a hemp kick lately. This is mainly because I'm really trying to take control of my health and do what I need to do to make myself better. One of those is making sure I am getting my Essential Fatty Acids, like Omega 3s and Omega 6s. Hemp is full of it. 1 tbsp of hemp oil has a full day's worth of omega 3s and omega 6s. It's also my little way of 'sticking it to the man', since commercial hemp production is illegal in the United States, because the DEA is too dumb to classify hemp and marijuana as two different substances. The legalization of both should happen, but that's a completely seperate topic that I haven't decided if I want to discuss on my blog yet.

Anywho, back to the smoothies. If you have an aversion to drinking something that looks like it came out of a swamp, I don't recommend the Protein Powder. It is a dark olive green, and the smoothie was pretty much the same color. The Protein Powder has a serving size of 4 tbsp, which contains 15g of protein. A 16oz canister contains 15 servings, and I paid $10.67 for it. I decided that I didn't want to use that much powder, so I cut the serving in half, and just used 2 tbsp. That should still get me 7.5g of protein, which is much better than the 0g I was getting before. I also added 1 tbsp of hemp oil. I don't think I'll do that again. It has a very nutty flavor, but on top of the protein powder and hemp milk, it's just a little too 'hempy' for me. I'm going to switch back to using my flavored flax oil in the smoothies, and save the hemp oil for other recipes. Speaking of flax oil, I've got an order of chocolate flavored flax oil on the way. I LOVE the banana flavored, so I hope I like the chocolate as well.

Ok, so here's the recipe for my smoothies:
- 1 frozen banana (fresh works as well, but I buy in bulk)
- 1 cup milk (Regular milk is fine, but I prefer almond milk or chocolate flavored hemp milk. I've also got a vanilla flavored hemp milk I will be trying soon)
- 1/2 cup fruit of your choice (I've done blueberries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and mangoes so far. The mango was very stringy, and I had to spend 20 min straining before I could drink it.)
- 2 tbsp hemp protein powder
- 1 tbsp flax or hemp oil

Blend well and drink! This makes 1 serving.

Change is necessary.

2011-06-21T16:55:00.000-05:00

I know I've said this before, but I'm going to change my life. I've started, and have been doing fairly well in the food department. I still have some foods I haven't been able to give up, like Doritos, but I'm getting there. I'm still useless when it comes to exercise. I don't get to walk anymore, because once summer shows up in Texas (like May), being outside is a bad idea. I can't walk in 90-100 degree weather. I've thought about going to the mall to walk, but I'd have to resist shopping, and that's a different problem for a different day.

I watched Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition last night. Didn't even know the show existed. The guy on the show started at 651 pounds, and finished a year later at under 350. Holy crap. I wish I had the motivation and determination to lose 80 pounds in a year, and he lost over 300! He had intense 2-hour workouts every morning and evening. I haven't worked out in over a week. Then, by way of a new blog I found, Health Not to Health Nut I read about this girl named Tricia (link: Endurance Isn't Only Physical). She was almost 300 pounds, and lost 128 pounds in about a year. Her goal was to spend 21 days strictly adhering to her goals. If after 21 days, she didn't like it, then she could stop. It's been long known that it takes 21 continuous days to create a new habit. I know it works, because I went 21 days without soda, and didn't have another one for 6 months. (I'm upset that I have backslid on the soda.)

So that's what I'm going to do. Starting tomorrow, Wednesday June 22, I will spend the next 21 days sticking to the following goals:
> Workout at the Rec Center 3 days a week - walking at least one mile around the track or at least 30 minutes in the gym
> Eliminate all soda and refined sugar (agave nectar is ok, but in small amts)
> Eat low-carb, and when I do eat bread or pasta, it will be gluten free.
> Participate in 'Fat Ass Fridays' on Brandy's blog You Don't Know

Like Tricia, if after 21 days it isn't working for me, I'll change it up. If it does work, then I'll start another 21-day cycle with new goals.

Photo Credit

What's For Dinner? June 20-24, 2011

2011-06-20T16:43:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness, a meal plan? Yep, I finally got around to doing another one. I went to the farmer's market again this weekend and need to plan out the usage so I don't let anything ruin.

Monday: Chicken Enchilada Chicken and Garlic Brussels Sprouts
The chicken has been marinating in my freezer for 2 weeks now. It's just some chicken broth and Chicken Enchilada seasoning from Homemade Gourmet. The brussels sprouts, on the other hand, will be made using a Garlic Brussels Sprouts recipe from AllRecipes.com

Link: Garlic Brussels Sprouts
Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Tuesday: White Bean Pizza with Tomatoes
This is a repeat from a few weeks ago. I made it with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Dough, and there wasn't quite enough bean puree. This time I'm doubling the puree recipe, but using a can of black beans because I only have one can of white beans.

Link: Pizza with White Bean Puree and Tomatoes
Courtesy of EatingWell.com

Wednesday: Spaghetti Squash with Homemade Tomato Sauce
There's one particular vendor at the farmer's market that has baskets full of tomatoes called 'Seconds'. Nothing is actually wrong with the tomatoes, they just aren't pretty to look at. These gigantic baskets cost $6. Every time I go, I get a basket for homemade spaghetti sauce. The recipe always changes slightly, so I can't post it for you. But I can tell you what I put in it:
Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar
Homemade Gourmet's Spaghetti Sauce seasoning
Homemade Gourmet's Garlic Basil seasoning
Lots of garlic

I'll add ground turkey for some protein, and bake a spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, for 30-45 minutes at 350. Mix it all up and top it off with plenty of parmesan cheese!

Thursday: Easy Pork Chop and Apple Bake with Boiled Cheesy Cabbage
The cabbage was another farmer's market find this week. It was beautiful! I love boiling it and covering it with cheese (although the house smells terrible afterwards). I have convinced the hubby to let me make cabbage this week, so I wanted to serve it with pork chops. I found this recipe at Cooks.com.

Link: Easy Pork Chop and Apple Bake
Courtesy of Cooks.com

Friday: I'm still thinking about it...

I'm not sure what I'm doing on Friday. I'll have to inventory the fridge and see what's available. I'll edit this with the recipe once I know.

Check out these giveaways!

2011-06-17T19:51:00.000-05:00

I love blog giveaways. There's just something about free stuff that gets me excited :) I'm not at work today, so I decided to do some blog surfing for giveaways. Here's what I found!
(As always, the pictures link to the giveaway post)

"Holy crap, I have over 500 followers" Giveaway from Jen and Life, Crafts and Whatever

James and I love trays. They make life a little easier, because you can carry a lot at once. This helps especially when you live in a townhome and have bad knees. One tray with everything on it is so much better than several trips up and down the stairs just using two hands to carry things. Jen is giving away a tray. But this isn't just any tray. It's got a beautiful damask design on it. I love the damask pattern! And if that isn't cool enough, she's making it custom for the winner. I would love, Love, LOVE to win this, so I can get a black and red one for my living room! Head over to Life, Crafts and Whatever to enter! Oh, and Jen, congrats on 500 followers! I look forward to the day I can say that as well! Just 480 to go :)

Kinnikinnick Foods Gluten-Free Personal Size Pizza Crust from Leslie Loves Veggies

I have been working on converting to a gluten-free diet. This means no more Pizza Hut and Olive Garden. I attempted a GF pizza last week, and although it was good, it felt more like a foccacia than a pizza. Leslie reviewed some GF Personal Size Pizza Crusts and after reading it, I decided I wouldn't mind trying them. The company that produces them, Kinnikinnick Foods, is giving away 4 boxes of crusts. Sinceeach package has 4 crusts, that will go forever in this house! Awesome :) If you want to enter, head over to Leslie Loves Veggies!

Fire Wire from New Age Mama

These are just the neatest summer accessories every grill fan should have. I love kabobs. In fact, finding out about this giveaway has got me hankering for the grill :) Fire Wire is a flexible grilling skewer. It is twice as long as the traditional skewer, so it holds more meat and veggies. Because it flexes, you can load it up, the put it in a ziploc to marinate. Isn't that just awesome? Head over to New Age Mama to enter, or visit Fire Wire!

Good luck!

What's Your Song? Thursday Link Up!

2011-06-16T10:58:00.000-05:00

This Sunday is Father's Day. Just like Mother's Day, this is a rough day for us. Every year James hopes that we'll have a baby by the next Father's Day. This will make the 4th FD since we started dating - and yes, we did start TTCing before we got married. You know that feeling you get when you know something is perfect? Yeah, we knew. Anyways, This song fits my vision of James as a dad to a tee. One day, he'll be a dad. I'll make sure of it. I just can't guarantee when. Here's Gary Allan with Tough Little Boys

As for my dad, our relationship has been tumultuous to say the least. The year my sister and I started school was also the year that my parents' relationship started going to sh*t. He missed pretty much anything I did in school until I moved in with him in 7th grade. While I lived with him, he attended all our school events. When I moved out at the end of 9th grade to live with my mom again, he told me I wasn't allowed to ever move back in. I'm still trying to work on our relationship, because it's been pretty rough since then. Not every dad is like Gary Allan describes, and I understand that. I just miss how my dad used to be. I can think of a number of reasons that have caused him to change, and most of them aren't nice, so I'll keep my mouth shut. But whether he's the greastest dad in the world or not, he's my dad, and I love him. (And he's not a deadbeat like my hubby's dad, so it's all good) And in honor of my Dad on FD, I offer you Queen. Not just any Queen song, though - this one he used to play for me and my mom when I was younger. Here's Fat Bottomed Girls

Happy Father's Day! If you want to join in on the link-up fun, head over to Goodnight Moon's page!

GoBarStools.com Review

2011-06-15T11:18:00.001-05:00

Norbo Wall-Mounted Folding Table from Ikea

I love giveaways. Why? Because you have the chance to win something that may or may not normally buy. My philosophy on saving money is this - "If you can get it free or discounted, why pay full price for it?" A month or two ago I wrote about a recliner giveaway. I didn't win, but that's ok. I received an email last night from one of the guys that works at that company, informing me of yet another giveaway they are having! All you have to do is write a 100+ word review over one of their many websites, and you're entered to win a $500 gift certificate. I can do a lot with $500. So James and I surfed through the sites last night, picking out what we would want to use the money on - and that helped me pick the site to review. We bought a new dining table at Ikea a week ago, but didn't get chairs. We were going to use folding chairs, but if I can get bar stools for free, why use the folding chairs?

GoBarStools.com

I have fallen in love with GoBarStools.com. Why? The selection. There are dozens of chair designs, and most of them are... CUSTOMIZABLE! Not only to you get to pick out the style of chair, but you can pick out the frame color, the seat color, and if there is a cushion on the back, you get to choose it's color cover, too! And of course, just like their GoRecliners.com counterpart, they have sports team chairs as well. These are perfect for decorating a man cave, a sports bar, or just your dining room if you are big fans. The sports chairs come in sets of 2, so they make it even easier to purchase. As for the website itself - The website is very simple to navigate and the pictures are large enough to see the detail without having to open a seperate page. I hate websites that put tiny little thumbnails in their main listings so you are constantly going back and forth between pages. The colors are easy on the eyes, so it doesn't hurt to look at the page for a while. And as a special for Father's Day, there is no shipping and no sales tax until June 17. As always, I won't leave you without pictures!
(Word Count: 210)

Link to GoBarStools.com

Cortisol and Leptin...

2011-06-13T17:53:00.000-05:00

Photo credit

I feel so run down. I felt like this most of last week, and ended up taking 3 days off work due to it. This weekend was better - We went to Houston. We spent several hours enjoying the Downtown Aquarium on Saturday, and I enjoyed my PCOS symposium on Sunday. But as soon as I got in the car to head home, this feeling came back. It was so bad that I tossed my cookies less than an hour after we got on the road. This was definitely not from being car sick. I don't get car sick. I was tired all evening, had stupid issues with my homework, and finally went to be at 2-2:30. I realize that was late, and it could explain why I'm tired, but it doesn't explain the run-down, crappy feeling. I got plenty of sleep last week and still felt this way. I think it could be a cortisol issue. I have high cortisol levels. I know I haven't checked with a doctor, but from the information I received at the PCOS symposium, as well as years of research, it fits. I did some more research, and it seems as though the large 'buffalo hump' on my upper back - the one I've had for over a decade, as well as my fat, puffy face, are usually caused by high levels of cortisol. I've known this for a few years, but it requires a doctor to test for cortisol levels, and then, if I have had such high levels for so long, it's probably caused by Cushing's Disease. But... I have to go to a doctor. And if it is Cushing's, it will require surgery to remove a tumor on my pituitary gland, adrenal glands, lungs, or pancreas. Definitely need insurance before I do that, so I can't get tested yet or the ins. company will call it a pre-existing condition.

I also likely have Leptin resistance, because it goes hand-in-hand with insulin resistance and off-kilter cortisol levels. Leptin is the protein secreted by your stored fat cells to tell your brain you aren't hungry anymore. In order to deal with the Leptin resistance, there is an intense, 21-day meat and veggie diet I can do. It's uber-restrictive, and I really don't think I could stick to it. As long as I feel this bad, keeping myself motivated to stay on track is just... impossible.

I realize that I could be making a mountain out of a molehill, but when you don't have access to a doctor, it happens. I am at a point where I want to quit my job so I can spend some time on me. With grad school, work and my family, there isn't much room in the schedule for 'me' time. My exercise time is not my 'me' time. I hate exercise, and it definitely doesn't relax me. I just do it because I have to. The weekends don't give me any time to relax, because I'm always busy doing something. Even just a month or two off work would probably do wonders for me. But Life says no. Ugh... I guess I'm used to it.

Ok, rant over.

What's Your Song? Thursday Link Up!

2011-06-10T11:15:00.002-05:00

Aha! I just barely made it this time - seeing as how it's Friday. It's been difficult to pick a song because I've just been sick and watching TV most of the week. Ugh. But... there is this one song I was listening to Wednesday night, after a late-night trip to Walmart.

I love my town. After 10pm, it's just so quiet! There's not one on the roads or the freeway, so we roll down our windows, crank up the music and just enjoy the drive. One of my favorite songs to listen to when we do this is Super Massive Black Hole by Muse. And every time I hear it, I think of sparkly vampires playing baseball lol. (And no, I'm not by any means a Twilight fan. Haven't even seen the latest one out.)

So here's this week's pick - and the video even has the baseball scene from Twilight lol.

If you want to head over to Goodnight Moon and listen to all the other submissions, here's the link!

Smoothies!

2011-06-07T16:35:00.002-05:00

I apologize for the lack of menu plans lately. I have been so busy that we've just been eating whatever we can find in the fridge. Thankfully most of it is very healthy stuff we made of Memorial Day weekend and froze. I don't think I put this in my Memorial Day post, but we made a ton of peach ice cubes. We had a lot of peaches, but they were getting too ripe, and couldn't be cut into nice little slices. We decided to take them all, puree them, and stick them in the freezer. Worked great! I made myself a smoothie for breakfast - banana, peach puree cubes, almond milk, and flaxseed oil. It was really good. I think I'm going to have to do that more often. It was quick and painless, especially since I have a Magic Bullet. Very rarely do I promote 'As Seen on TV' ads, but the Magic Bullet really is awesome. I got mine for 'free' last year for my birthday. I had a 20% off coupon at Bed, Bath and Beyond, so I bought my fabulous KitchenAid stand-mixer (I got tired of waiting for my dad to die and will me his lol - I love my dad and don't want him to die, I just wanted his mixer!). The discount I got from the coupon paid for the Magic Bullet set I also bought that day.

Anyways - I tossed all the ingredients in a blender cup, blended (obviously!), then put one of the thread covers on the cup and walked out the door. It's so easy! Tomorrow will be blueberry banana or mango banana - that's the fruit I need to eat before it goes bad...

Do you make smoothies? What are your favorite ingredients?

What's Your Song? Thursday Link Up

2011-06-02T13:05:00.000-05:00

This week has just been... rough. It started over the weekend. Mom and I spent a lot of time, money and effort in organizing my kitchen and cooking a ton of food. Sadly, cooking, as much as I love it, has become a major pain for me in the past couple of years, and even more so in the last 6 months. I have been dealing with a lot of back pain, and it is at the point where I cannot stand in one place for more than 10 minutes before I collapse in pain. And when I mean collapse, I'm not kidding. Knees hit the floor, tears start streaming down my face, and I lean on the object closest to me, hoping that the waves of pain along my spine will go away. Doctors have no idea what's wrong, x-rays don't show any problems, and the chiropractor claimed I had 4 pinched ligaments, but I can't afford to go to him twice a week to get adjustments (especially when the last time I went, I was in pain for a week afterwards). I did a lot of cooking while sitting down this weekend to ease the pain, but my back has been aching ever since.

Then I have been extremely busy at work, trying to get a project finished and 100% working. This comes right at a time when I have an interview with another company for a better job - more money and benefits! I had the interview yesterday, thought it went fantastic, and then got a call today from the recruiter saying that I didn't get the job. Well damn. At least I still have this job. (I was a little hesitant about getting a new job anyway, because the guys here are so flexible, and I love being able to wear jeans and a baseball hat.)

The hubby texts me today to tell me that he is really sick. He is a trooper when he's sick, but I have forced him to be that way. I don't have a driver's license atm, so he's my chauffer. He knows that he has to come get me from work, unless he's just dying - then I call my mom. He never complains. All he wants in return is to cuddle when we get home. Yes, ladies, my husband LOVES to cuddle. I got so lucky :)

And the worst part of the week came in the form of a text from my mom at 6:30 this morning. Back in September of last year, my 99 yr-old great-grandmother, Mamaw, passed away, just days before I was scheduled to take off work and visit her one more time. I hadn't seen her in 5 years. It made me feel horrible, and I was depressed for weeks. Mamaw was an awesome person. She had a huge garden, and worked in that until just a few years before she died. At 95, she was still getting on her roof to clean out her gutters. She also took care of her daughter, Bobby. Bobby had a laundry list of health problems, and couldn't take care of herself. She had difficulty walking, she was narcoleptic, and the list goes on. I'm not even sure what all she had. After Mamaw died, Bobby's brother and sister-in-law, Don and Shirley, took her in and cared for her. Sadly, though, that didn't last long. They got tired of the effort required to take care of her and put her in a nursing home. I would have brought Bobby to live with me, had I had the room and time to take care of her. I cried when I was told she was in a nursing home. A couple of months ago, Bobby was taken to the hospital. She had pneumonia, caused by the nursing home force feeding her Ensure. It was in her lungs. They were literally gagging her with food. No one else in the family cared that she was being mistreated - but I still couldn't do anything about it. Earlier this week she was back in the hospital, and on morphine. She had stopped swallowing, and instead of giving her a feeding tube, the hospital decided that they would just stop feeding her and pump her full of pain meds so she wasn't in pain. From that point, it was just a waiting game. I knew when I woke up this morning that something bad had happened. I could just feel it. I was right. For anyone that believes in Heaven, my Aunt Bobby is now with Mamaw. It's at times like this that I wished I believed in Heaven, so I could believe that she was finally at peace and pain-free.

So my song this week is in honor of my Aunt Bobby.

If you want to join in the blog hop, head over to Goodnight Moon and link up!

Cooking, cooking and... more cooking!

2011-05-31T16:16:00.000-05:00

I've been talking a lot recently about going gluten-free. No, I'm not following the crowd and trying it as a fad diet. In all actuality, 85% of women with PCOS have some degree of gluten intolerance. This is one of the newest things I have learned in my ongoing research to fully understand what is wreaking havoc with my body. I decided to try eating gluten free for just a few days to see how I felt. WOW. I have felt a little happier and my bathroom trips have been easier. That's a big deal, since all I did was modify what I ate. In light of this, I decided to try a GF diet for a longer period of time to experiment some more.

This past holiday weekend was the start of this experiment. My mom came over and helped me make a ton of food to stock the freezer. It's easier for me to eat GF if it's already prepared.

We made:
> Banana Bread
> White Bread
> Apricot Peach Hemp Seed Cobbler
> Very Berry Hemp Seed Cobbler
> Black Bean and Mango Salsa
> Blended Salsa
> Breakfast Burritos (Turkey Sausage and Turkey Bacon) - Not GF
> Chicken, Black Bean and Mushroom Burritos - Not GF
> Turkey and Pinto Bean Burritos - Not GF
> Mini Mushroom and Turkey Sausage Quiches

Yes, we had a very busy weekend. We were cooking Sunday from 8pm to 4am, then again on Monday from 5pm to 12am. My fridge and freezer cannot hold anything else. I'm a little frustrated that I didn't take pictures of everything before we portioned everything out into individual containers. The cobblers looked (and tasted) especially awesome. (Click on the pictures for the recipes/product websites)

The breads came from recipes off of Bob's Red Mill GF flour packages. The banana bread came from the All-Purpose Flour mix, and the white bread from the Homemade Wonderful GF Bread mix. They turned out a little odd because we kept messing with the recipe, but it still tasted great. I can only imagine how the original recipe would taste! I'll be trying that next weekend :)

The cobblers were a variation of a Raspberry, Oatmeal and Hemp Seed Cobbler recipe I found at CupcakeProject. I had a large amount of very ripe peaches and apricots I needed to use up, and I had just purchased strawberries, blueberries and blackberries at the Farmer's Market. For those of you unaware, hemp seeds are high in Omega-3s. Although these seeds do come from the cannabis plants, they do not contain and THC, and therefore are legal and available for purchase at health food stores and specialty supermarkets, such as Central Market. Oh, and you may have heard that oats have gluten. They don't. However, typically oats are processed in the same machinery that processes wheat, so gluten is transferred to the oats. Just look for oats with the GF label.
I altered this recipe by using GF all-purpose flour and GF oats.
Recipe: Raspberry, Oatmeal and Hemp Seed Cobbler

The salsas come from one of my favorite companies, Homemade Gourmet. The Black Bean and Mango Salsa is a variation of the Black Bean Salsa, and the Blended Salsa is Maria's Salsa. I say these are variations because the original recipes call for canned tomatoes. Why use canned when I have fresh?

Oh, the burritos... It was slightly disheartening to make these, because I can't eat them while following a GF diet. I have yet to find GF tortillas. I have plenty of recipes, but I have failed so many times that I didn't want to waste the GF flour to try again. I made most of them to feed my hubby, who can't use an oven if his life depended on it. These burritos make sure he gets a healthy, nukeable meal. I cook up meat, beans and veggies, then fill and vacuum seal. They freeze wonderfully!

The mini-quiches are my breakfast food :) They are super quick to prepare, take about 30 min to cook, and will feed you for the whole week. I actually ran out of the sausage and mushroom mixture, so I just chopped up some turkey bacon for the rest of the quiches. It's so easy to sub ingredients to make this perfect for you. This recipe came from EatingWell.

Saturdays.... Sleep? Nah... Not anymore!

2011-05-27T13:08:00.002-05:00

Farmer's Markets. I talked about them a lot in this week's menu plan, What's For Dinner May 23-27, 2011. I've always loved farmer's markets, I just hated having to get up so early. Saturdays are my sleep-in days. Ok, ok, weekends are my sleep-in days. By the time I get up, the markets are already shutting down and packing up - except for Dallas. I really like the Dallas Farmer's Market, because it's HUGE. After visiting Barton Creek in Austin to see what a Top 10 Farmer's Market in the Country looks like, I'm certain the writers have never been to Dallas. You could fit the entire Barton Creek FM within one shed at DFM. It spans several city blocks in the heart of downtown Dallas. They are even open every single day (except X-Mas and New Years) from 8am to 6pm. No worry about sleeping late, right? Wrong. As much as I love DFM, I refuse to go. Why? It's in downtown Dallas. I hate the drive to get there. I hate driving in Dallas at all, let alone downtown. I can't ride the train, because I'd also have to ride a bus, and carrying bags full of food on a Dallas bus just doesn't seem like a safe idea to me.

Obviously I had to come up with an alternative. I love Central Market, but it's a grocery store and they are expensive. So what's a desperate girl to do? Google. Of course! So I googled farmer's markets in the area and was pleased to find one in Fort Worth. I figured there would be one, but I hadn't looked before. Cowtown Farmers Market, on the west side of Ft Worth, is my planned destination tomorrow. And yes, I will be getting up early to do it. But I've felt better this week from eating all the fresh produce than I have in a while. I really want to start doing this every weekend, and just buy meat and dairy at the store. (Until I get my farm in the country and can get my own meat and dairy.)

Could this story get any better? Why yes, actually, it can. The North Central Texas Farmers Market Association has a location even closer to me, with fantastic hours! I'm sure it is smaller, but that isn't always a bad thing. On Saturdays from 2pm - 6pm, there is a FM at Richland Hills Elementary School. Awesome. So if I do sleep in, I can still get my FM fix without having to go to Dallas.

So here's my shopping list for the trip:
> Apricots
> Lettuce
> Tomatoes
> Plums
> Strawberries
> Spinach
> Carrots
> Green Beans
> Farm Fresh Eggs
> And whatever else looks/sounds good!

I'll probably spend the rest of the day making my homemade burritos for the hubs :)

What's Your Song? Thursday Link Up!

2011-05-26T13:28:00.001-05:00

Today's song selection might surprise some people. Why? Because I'm 23. You'd expect me to be one of those people who listened to and fantasized over boy bands. Ok, when I was a pre-teen, I did. But I grew up listening to classic rock with my dad, and disco with my mom. I have a very eclectic taste in music. I love rock of all sorts, but can't stand that emo/punk crap. I'd choose Polish reggae over pop any day. I like some rap, but most of it just seems dumb to me. I also find I am more focused on writing code (as I am a software developer) if I'm listening to Trip-Hop. Techno gets annoying after the first 1-2 minutes of each song. I could keep going, as I have opinions about every type of music. My whole point is that I'm not a mainstream/normal type of chick.

Now back to the song... To preface this - the first time I heard this song was at the end of one of my favorite movies, Space Cowboys. If you haven't seen it, you should! Tuesday evening we had horrible storms rip through our area. Our tornado sirens were going off, the sky was black, and I was huddled up with my birds and hamsters in the bathroom, without A/C because our apt complex just "hadn't gotten around to it yet." In Texas, life without A/C sucks. Anyways, you might have noticed I didn't mention my hubby. Well, that's because he decided to go outside and hang out with all the crazy people taking pictures of the storm instead of getting to a safe place. As a pessimist by nature, I was freaking out the whole time he was gone. To calm myself down, I started singing the song we played as our recessional song after the wedding ceremony. We got married under the stars at the UT-Arlington Planetarium. I'm happy to say that he came back inside with me, and there was no damage done in the storm. The song's been stuck in my head ever since.

Wtihout further ado, here's Ol' Blue Eyes with Fly Me to the Moon

If you want to join in on the fun, head on over to Goodnight Moon and link up!

What's For Dinner? Meal Plan May 23-27, 2011

2011-05-24T09:35:00.001-05:00

Normally you wouldn't think that food poisoning would intice you to create a menu plan, but it has for me. I'm getting better, so I can finally start thinking about food I can eat!

We went to Austin for the weekend. We took the time to go to 2 different farmers' markets (Sunset Valley and Barton Creek), and a grocery store much like Sprouts called Sunflower Farmers Market. We also went to one of my favorite shops, Savory Spice Shop. I was even more excited when I found out that Karen, the owner, remembered us from the one time we went over 6 months ago! Although there are spice shops much closer to home, I much prefer the fantastic customer service and amazingly fresh spices Karen has to offer!

This week's menu is focused on eating the fresh veggies we got from the farmers' markets and the fabulous spices from Savory Spice Shop.

Monday: Italian Spaghetti Squash
I'm using fresh basil, spaghetti squash, yellow tomatoes, and roasted garlic olive oil from the farmers' markets in this dish (and removing the onions, of course). I also have some fresh brussels sprouts to throw in. I picked up a parmesan pesto sprinkle from Savory that I will add at the end to top it all off.
Link: Italian Spaghetti Squash
Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.com.

Tuesday: Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad
I picked up a Jamaican Jerk seasoning at Savory, and it smells so bright and fresh! I'm going to marinate chicken with some chicken broth and JJ seasoning overnight. Then I'll dice the chicken, saute it in a skillet, and add it to salad from the romaine lettuce, purple carrots, and pomegranate balsamic vinegarette dressing from the farmers' markets.

Wednesday: Beth's Portabella Mushroom Burgers
I picked up some lovely large portabella mushroom caps at the farmer's market. I just love using these as burgers! I've got romaine lettuce and gluten-free sourdough bread, too.

Link: Beth's Portabella Mushroom Burgers
Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Thursday: Spaghetti (Squash) with Meat Sauce
There isn't really a recipe for this, either. I'll cook the spaghetti squash in the oven with the same method from Monday's dish. I'll also make my own meat sauce with ground turkey and lots of italian seasonings. The hubby loves it when I make spaghetti like this, and it's a pretty easy dish.

Friday: Pizza with White Bean Sauce and Tomatoes
By now I will have already eaten the tomatoes I bought this weekend, so I'll just have to go buy some more :) I'll be using basil and texas-grown EVOO from the farmers' markets, and the parmesan pesto sprinkle from Savory again.

Link: Pizza with White Bean Puree and Tomatoes
Courtesy of EatingWell.com

What's Your Song Thursdays!

2011-05-19T10:46:00.000-05:00

I missed this last week, and although I've only participated for a few weeks, I felt really bad that I didn't get to. Lately I've been trying to find songs that fit into my category of I'm strong, and I'm not going to give up. There are a lot out there, but finding ones that are a little more vague is a difficult task. I'm not dealing with a breakup, so the songs about being storng after breakups don't work. I need songs about having to fight a life-long battle, fighting for what you believe in, fighting for what you want. This one fits :) The enemy: PCOS and infertility. I will be invincible. I may lose a few battles, but damnit I'm going to win the war! Then everyone will have to go into hiding, because between me, the hubby and our friends, we will have evil little children. We already lovingly refer to them as our future demon spawn lol :)

Without further ado, here's Pat Benetar with Invincible

Don't forget to head over to Goodnight Moon and Link up if you want to join us!

Wordy or Not So Wordy Wednesday Link Up

2011-05-18T12:35:00.000-05:00

We went to the park about a month ago, after the baby ducks started hatching. We got some great pictures. We went again last week, but I haven't had a chance to upload the latest pictures, which really sucks. I have newer pictures of the same babies, and it's amazing to see how fast they grow! Here are some of the old ones to hold you over :)

If you want to join us on this link up, head over to Traci66's blog!

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OMG Giveaways!

2011-05-18T10:45:00.000-05:00

A lot of blogs that have a larger following than I do have giveaways. On most, you can receive an entry just for blogging about their giveaway. I think it's about time I start blogging about them! I did this last week with just a couple of giveaways. This time I have 5! (For all giveaways - clicking the picture will take you to the giveaway post)
I'll start with my go-to review and giveaway site, Take It From Me

FyrFlyz
I was drawn to this giveaway solely for the title. I loved fireflies when I was a kid, so I was curious as to what may be marketed with the same name. These things look so cool! My husband is, dare I say it, just a big kid. If I took him to Toys-R-Us and gave him money, he'd be in heaven. I love that about him. I know he'll be great at helping out with the kids because he'll always want to play with their toys! When I saw these FyrFlyz, all I could think about was him. They glow in the dark, and you can swing them around and make light shapes. I can only imagine how fun these would be to watch after a couple of margaritas. Unfortunately, they are only available at Pheonix-area Toy's-R-Us stores. I don't know many people in Pheonix, so I guess I'm just going to hope that I win these! This giveaway is open until June 1, so enter while you can!

Mustache Flask - Olive Bites Blog and Whimsy & Ink
Although I'm not a big drinker, flasks have always been cool to me. It's not often that you see someone with a flask, but when you do, they are often wearing cowboy boots or have a very large moustache. (At least that's the way it is here in Texas :P) I've pictured my dad as the type of person to carry one around, and I'm sure there's a Harley Davidson one floating around his house somewhere. I just don't think that a Harley flask can top this one! Whoever wins this giveaway gets to have it personalized as well. Click on the picture below to visit Olive Bites and enter the giveaway. (Ends May 29)

Your Choice of Quilted Laptop Cover - Craftionary and Beeyourself Designs
If you're like me, your laptop is abused. It gets tossed around, knocked over, thrown in bags, etc. I used to have a laptop bag, but it was so bulky that I just gave up on it. Well those days could potentially be over :) Craftionary is giving away a quilted laptop cover of your choice, made by Beeyourself Designs. I fell in love with the Yoko design, below. Clicking on the picture will take you to Craftionary's giveaway post!

Darkly Romantic Jewelry - Miss Bohemia
When I'm surfing the giveaway listings, I'm not often thinking about myself. I look for things I'd like to give as gifts, whether they are needed or not. This is especially the case when it comes to jewelry. I love jewelry, but I can't stand wearing it. My husband is lucky that I wear my wedding ring most days. But I know one person in particular that would love this est, and she just so happens to be graduating from high school this year. This would make a great present :)

Cupcake Maker - Laughing Lindsay
I love cupcakes, but they make me fat. Ok, not the cupcakes themselves, but the carbs and sugars don't agree with my PCOS. This is probably because once I eat one, I eat the whole pan. I might have just solved that problem, though, with this nifty contraption. It makes 7 mini cupcakes at a time, instead of 18. I know that eating 7 still isn't good for me, but it's a whole lot better than 18! Even better - I don't have to turn the oven on. Lindsay, over at Laughing Lindsay, is giving away a Hearthsong Mini Cupcake Maker, so hurry over! This giveaway is only open until May 31!

And finally, you must head over to visit Rachel and Eat and Write. She's hosting a full week of awesome goodie giveaways!

I Feel So....

2011-05-16T21:07:00.000-05:00

Useless - I slept until 7pm on Saturday. That's right, 7PM. I had wanted to go to the botanical garden that day, but that obviously didn't happen. Thankfully I was able to get to the grocery store on Sunday to get supplies so I could make a ton of burritos to freeze. I have a laundry list of things I'd like to do, projects I'd like to complete, and I sit here, night after night, doing nothing. This is the first time I've posted in a week! I was doing great for a while, posting a lot, and now... (Although the new office configuration at work might have a little to do with it as well)

Depressed - Well this one is pretty obvious. I'm depressed that we can't have kids without a lot of struggle, and my period being over a week late isn't helping either. At my psychiatrist's appt today, I brought up the depression. She just said I needed to wait for my bipolar meds to start working. I've been on these meds for 11 months... If they haven't started working yet, why would another month matter?

Barren - I see all the pregnant women or women with babies and all I can think is that I'll never get the chance to be pregnant. Will I ever see a little peanut on a sonogram, or hear a heartbeat, or feel a baby kick? Not anytime soon. And we've discussed adoption before. It's a possibility, but not anywhere in the near future, due to the crazy restrictions and long process. We've discussed private adoption - where a pregnant woman that wants to give her child up for adoption chooses us without the use of an agency - but we don't have the connections to get our name out there. We don't go to church, we have a very small group of friends, and those friends are likely not going to be interested in helping us by spreading the word. I'm sure it's uncomfortable for them to say to someone, "A friend of mine is looking to adopt a baby. If you know any pregnant girls that want to give their baby up for adoption, let me know." Here in Texas, it's illegal to advertise in print and online materials that you are looking to adopt, so we can't be a Penny Saver success story, like in Juno.

I hate this feeling that I'm not a good wife. I don't cook as often as I would like to anymore. The house is a mess, and although it's technically James' responsibility since I'm working and he isn't, I still feel bad because I can't do it myself. I can't give my husband children. I hate seeing how upset he gets when anything baby-related comes up, knowing I can't do anything about it. I used to be normal. I know I can blame all of the on the PCOS, but when I'm doing a lot to try and turn my life around, it's hard to continue feeling this way. I have been working so hard for almost a year now, and although I've lost weight and sorta got my periods back on track, I don't feel any better. I just wish there was some magic pill to make everything all better. I'd pay a pretty penny for that pill, too.

I may not be Charlie Sheen, but I'm winning!

2011-05-10T11:59:00.002-05:00

This past week has just been, well, my week. I've been on a nice winning streak lately, which has been especially nice considering all the crap we've been dealing with lately, medically and financially.

First, I won 3rd place in the Soul Cysters Weight Loss Challenge. I have lost 23+ pounds since the start of the challenge in December. That won me $20.00. Since the winnings are sent though PayPal, it's officially my eBay money :)

Then, during National Infertility Awareness Week, there were giveaways everywhere! I won a cd from Chance To Hope. I'm not sure if it's just one song or a collection, but either way, I'm excited to listen to it. "Invisible Loss" by Fertility Advisors' Owner, Deb Grisset.

It keeps going :) I also won a book, Taking Charge of your Fertility, and a basal body thermometer (BBT) from The Lucky 7. For those of you unaware, a BBT is a thermometer that is accurate to .1 degrees, whereas traditional thermometers are only accurate to .2 degrees. This higher degree of accuracy is necessary in tracking, because signs of ovulation can be as small as .5 degrees difference. In charting, a .4 can mean much different than .6. James and I decided that we were going to attempt TTC with a private donor before we start looking into more expensive procedures, and tracking is very important in this process.

Update as of 10:00pm this evening, I have also won a beautiful tote and cell phone case from Juliana's PCOS Journey and Patchwork Place! You can find Juliana at her blog: Juliana's PCOS Journey Patchwork Place has a shop on etsy with some fabulous bags! PatchworkPlace.etsy.com
Here's pictures!

So those are the ones I have won - here are the ones still running!

WonderMill Grain Mill - Hosted by Take It From Me

As a self-proclaimed foodie, I can honestly say I think this would be one of the COOLEST items to have in my kitchen. I can grind my own wheat into flour whenever I want? Awesome. Quinoa? Yup. Beans? That too! (Although I'm still thinking of a reason to grind beans...)

Grain stores better and longer than flour, and in pretty much all cases is cheaper. The only that could make me happier about this giveaway is if it was for the Wonder Junior Deluxe Hand Mill, so I could make my own nut butters as well. If I could make my own organic nut butter, my bird would be in foodie heaven too!

Of course, I do have a reason for posting about this giveaway - it gets me more entries to win! But of course, it would be mean of me to talk about it without giving you the chance to enter as well, so hop on over to Take It From Me and check out all their fabulous giveaways! If you have babies, you should definitely make sure to check out this site. They are having a huge Baby Bash giveaway this month, and have all sorts of cool giveaways to enter!

Nexus Leather Recliner - Wholesale Furniture Brokers
A few years ago, a friend gave me a recliner that she no longer needed. I was spendind a lot of time taking care of my twin nieces at the time, and needed a comfy chair to sit in while feeding them. Little did I know that was going to become my favorite chair, especially after I started having major back problems. It's been attempting to break for about 6 months now, but has been a trooper and stayed together. This past weekend, though, it took a turn for the worst. It broke. It's still useable, but only if you feel like lying down. I almost cried when I realized I couldn't sit in it and use my laptop at the same time. Today I found a recliner giveaway. Coincidence? I think not. The cool thing about this giveaway is that it's not just for a recliner. For every 50 entries they recieve, they are giving away a gift certificate, increasing in $50 increments. Awesome, right? That's what I thought. To enter, all you have to do is choose one of their websites, write a 100-word review, and then send them the link. Here's my review of GoRecliners.com:

The recliner being given away ^^

As a website developer and former newspaper editor, I often get requests to review a website and offer my suggestions. I enjoy this process, because I get to dig deep and explore every aspect of a website. Today I'm reviewing GoRecliners.com. At first glance, it is a well-designed website. It is user-friendly, simple to navigate, and doesn't have attrocious colors like some sites out there. There is a large selection of leather recliners, and the prices are competitive. They are offering free shipping and no sales tax right now, which is great as well. I hate finding a great deal online only to realize I have to pay a ton in shipping - this is especially a problem with larger purchases. I am a bigger fan of fabric recliners because I hate the way my skin sticks to leather when it's warm. Unfortunately, they do not have a large selection of fabric recliners. I would recommend being careful when picking out the recliners you like, because they do include discontinuted items in their product listings. This annoys me sometimes, because inevitably I fall in love with something discontinued. My preference is to only show items that are actually available for purchase. I think the coolest thing about this website is the sports recliners. I know several people who would just love to have a Dallas Cowboys or Green Bay Packers recliner. I would prefer an Oakland Raiders recliner, but that one isn't available :(

Here's a link to the full website: GoRecliners.com

Thursday's What's Your Song Link Up!

2011-05-05T11:24:00.000-05:00

This will be my third week participating, and I'm really enjoying it! This week's song is based on some issues I have been having with other women in my support group, on top of all the problems I have on my own. I don't know what's going on, but it seems that everyone wants to take offense to things that I have said with comments to me like "I work with mental patients all the time, but I don't know what I'm talking about..." or "I'm a nurse, but I don't know what I'm talking about." PCOS has not been studied enough. I don't really think any disease has. All I have done was comment about the link between PCOS and bipolar disorder, and I start getting comments like that. It's not like I'm pulling this info out my a**; I'm following it with links to legitimate research studies. It's frustrating to me that I want to share my knowledge so that others know what they are facing as well and I get griped at for it. It's like if someone had cancer, but wasn't told of the effects of chemo. If that were you, wouldn't you want to know everything you could about the disease you were dealing with? I thought so.

Even now, there are tons of doctors, including gynocologists, that don't have a clue about PCOS. So why is it so difficult to admit that you may not know everything there is to know about PCOS? I surely don't, but I'm trying to learn.

So with that said, here's my song for the week. You Haven't Seen the Last of Me by the always gorgeous Cher.

I'm contemplating making this one of my theme songs. When I first heard it while watching Burlesque, I couldn't help but feel it was being sung for me. Do you ever feel that way? If so, leave me a comment with your theme song! I'd love to hear your song!

If you want to join the Link Up, head over to Goodnight Moon's blog via her button below and link up!

Blog Hops

2011-05-04T14:52:00.000-05:00

I decided that I wanted to jump on the blog hop bandwagon. I realized if I want my blog to help someone I don't know, then I better start showing it off to people I don't know!

If you become a new follower and have your own blog, please leave me a comment with your blog link so I can follow you too!

Here's where I'm hopping today!

Photo Challenge Days 15-21

2011-05-04T12:12:00.000-05:00

I feel like a failure lol... I haven't done this in a week. So here's a week's worth of pictures!

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
As if it wasn't already obvious, the one thing I want to do before I die is become a mom. I don't care about being a millionaire, having fancy things, or travelling the world. I would give everything up just to be a mom.

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you
My little sister, Elicia. No matter what comes her way, she is determined to succeed on her own. (She's the skinny one on the right)

Day 17 - A picture of someone who has made a huge impact on your life recently
She might be surprised to hear this, but the person that has made a huge impact on my life lately doesn't actually know me in real life. We are friends via blog and Facebook. Christina, from Mrs. O's Life, has been an amazing inspiration to me. Because of joining her PCOS group, I have found the help I needed to kick start my weight loss and start managing my PCOS better. Thanks, Christina :)

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity
This definitely has to be my weight. I'm tired of being the size I am, having difficulty finding clothes, and missing out on summer fun like swimming because I refuse to be seen in a swimsuit right now.

Day 19 - A picture and a letter.
This one didn't make much sense, so... Here's a picture of a letter. Perhaps one of my favorite letters :)

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
I have a laundry list of places I want to travel. I didn't want to give you one of the usual answers, so I chose Antarctica. James and I love penguins - and I'd love to see them in their natural habitat, not just the zoo.

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Well if I had pictures, I wouldn't be able to forget, would I? If I had pictures, it would be of my ex-step-son, Mikey. The one thing I regret from the divorce was having to leave him. He was 17 months old when I met him. He started calling me 'Mom' before his mother, and to this day, there's not a moment that goes by where I don't miss him. It took me two years to finally delete the pictures of him from my computer. The last time I saw him, he was three and a half years old. He turns 7 this year.

Menu Plan for May 4-6, 2011

2011-05-04T11:24:00.000-05:00

I didn't get a chance to get my menu plan up yesterday or the day before. Work was keeping me busy busy busy, and then when I got home, I had some major back pain that kept me from doing anything remotely productive. If the pain had been a little futher forward towards my chest, I'd have sworn it was a mini heart attack. But I'm still alive, so that's a good thing :)

We are on an extremely tight budget for the next few weeks, thanks to the Tax Man. I spent the last $50 I could at the grocery store Monday so we had some fresh produce. Here's to hoping nothing bad happens in the next two weeks!

Wednesday: Asparagus Risotto
I am posting this recipe as is, but I am modifying it slightly. I am not using shallots (yuck!), and I am replacing the arborrio rice with brown rice. I'm also combining white and green asparagus, because I don't have enough of either to use just one. We'll see how it goes :)

Ingredients
1/2 tsp table salt, for cooking water
1 pound(s) asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 small shallot(s), minced
1 cup(s) uncooked arborio rice
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 cup(s) canned chicken broth
1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, such as Parmigianno-Reggiano
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add asparagus to pot; blanch for 2 minutes. Immediately remove asparagus from pot and place them into ice water (to stop them from cooking and help retain their bright green color); set aside.
Coat a medium pot with cooking spray and set over medium heat; melt butter. Add shallots; cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add rice and toss to coat; cook for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice; cook, until all lemon juice has been absorbed, stirring continuously so rice does not stick to sides of pot, about 1 minute.
Meanwhile, bring broth to a simmer; keep warm.
Add 1/2 cup of hot broth to pot at a time; stir until absorbed. Repeat with remaining broth, making sure each addition of broth is absorbed before adding more. This process takes about 20 minutes.
When rice turns creamy and just done (should be slightly chewy and not mushy), remove pot from heat; add cheese and stir well. Stir in asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Yields 1 scant cup per serving.
Makes 6 servings.
Courtesy of Weight Watchers

Thursday: Turkey Tacos!
James just loves it when I make tacos, so yet again, it's on my meal plan. It's something I can modify every time based on what I have in the fridge. There was some great-looking bagged salad on clearance, so I'm going to make myself a taco salad. James will likely just eat the meat with a ton of cheese, like he normally does :)
Link here: Taco Salad

Friday: Quinoa and Black Beans
I had this on my menu plan a couple of weeks ago, and never got to make it. This time I am more prepared, and have everything I need! I did try quinoa with corn and chicken broth last week and it was really good, so I think I'm going to like this as well. Bonus - James was really excited when he saw me put black beans in the grocery cart :) As always, I am takig the onions out.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1.Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2.Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3.Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Thanks for stopping by!

2011-05-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

Good morning/afternoon/evening! I hope the weather didn't make it difficult for you to get here :) Here in Texas we went from 90 degrees on Saturday to a high of mid-50's yesterday, and the high today is only 50. And it's wet and raining :(

Thanks for dropping by my blog. I am excited to be the featured blogger on Mrs. O's Life: Monday Bloglight. I'm sure you have already read the intro on her page, so I'll spare you the boring details. I am primarily a PCOS/Infertility blogger, with a little of my own craziness blended in. I am also fighting depression and bipolar II disorder, making this journey especially difficult - because we are automatically disqualified from so many adoption agencies for that. If only they knew that these mental problems are linked to the reason we were trying to adopt in the first place.

Anywho, enough ranting. I post several times a week - depending on what I have to blog about. I try to get a meal plan out by the end of every Monday afternoon, so look for that later. Now that some major back problems I have been having have subsided, I've been able to start working out again. I'll share my workout routine, which is typically a mix of yoga and step aerobics. Then I'll post about random things as I feel the urge :)

I love following blogs, so if you decide to follow mine, leave me a comment and I'll follow yours as well!

3.5 years and counting... :)

2011-04-29T15:24:00.000-05:00

2007 was a big turning point in my life. Along with the heartbreaking diagnosis of PCOS, I was in school full-time trying to get my Associate's degree and married to an lazy, emotionally abusive husband - we'll call him... Meanie. I was expected to get a full-time job, go to school full-time, take care of his child and keep the house spotless while he sat around and watched tv. For months I put up with it because I loved his son. Then his son's mother called Child Protective Services on us because she hated that Munchkin started calling me Mom before her. CPS determined that we could not have Munchkin back until we took parenting classes, which Meanie refused to take (Now I'm glad I didn't have a child with him). Had I received a little help cleaning from Meanie, or if he had potty-trained the dog like he promised, that wouldn't have happened.

In late June, I met James. He was a great friend, and hated seeing the way I was treated. He quickly became one of my best friends. When I was having problems with Meanie, I could talk to him about it all. He was in a relationship as well, so I never expected anything to happen between us. I was happy keeping it as friends, for a while. As things became worse with Meanie, James and I became closer. He witnessed the abuse I dealt with from Meanie, and was there the day I kicked Meanie out. Once Meanie was out of my life, James let his true feelings for me show. I'll admit, I had increasingly grown interested in him since a couple of weeks before I kicked Meanie out, but I never would allow myself to cheat on Meanie. For a short period of time, I was afraid that I was pregnant and it was Meanie's child. James even told me that he would claim to be the father and help me take care of the baby so I didn't have to deal with Meanie again. (I ended up not being preggo) The only problem then became how do I get James to myself? He had a girlfriend, but they were having problems (obviously because he was cheating on her with me and she knew it) Finally, after breaking up with her, dating me for a week and then going back to her (of course still cheating on her with me), he finally ended their relationship for good on Oct 28. We were hanging out when he broke up with her, but told me that we couldn't make our relationship official until the next day. I understood and agreed, because I didn't want our anniversary to be the same day he broke up with her. So 10 minutes later, once midnight had passed, we were officially together. He moved in with me 2 days later and we've been inseperable ever since.

Now some people would tell me I'm crazy for putting up with this wishy-washy "I'm with you, no, wait... I'm with her" crap. I even told myself I was crazy. But I couldn't shake my feelings for him. I tried, oh how I tried. Deep down, I just knew that I wouldn't be able to forget, and I had to have him for myself. I was a bitch about it, too. I realize that I hurt her, but I did what I had to do to get him. I knew after talking to him for hours every night for at least a month, they didn't have the same values. He wanted to be a dad, and her parents were raising her child because she didn't want her. There's no way that would have ever lasted.

Anyways, I wrote that exceptionally shortened version of how James and I got together for one reason. 3 and a half years ago today, we were officially a couple. In the beginning I wondered if he would cheat on me with another girl. "Once a cheater, always a cheater", right? My friends and his friends were secretly curious as well. Then one by one, we all realized that this wasn't just another temporary relationship. This was the real deal. Til death do us part, real. He wants to be the father of my children, even though he knows he can't be biologically related. He treats me like a queen, and never uses it against me like Meanie did. He goes to all of my doctors' appointments. He drives me to work and back every day since I lost my driver's license a year ago. He supports me in any endeavor I attempt. He makes sure I take all of my pills, because I tend to forget. He knows, sometimes even before I do, when I'm sad. He's my best friend, and I'm so glad to have him in my life.

I love you, James, and I'm so glad to have spent the last 3.5 years with you. Here's to the next 3.5 years, and many, many more!

It's Thursday! Time for What's Your Song Link Up!

2011-04-28T12:39:00.000-05:00

There are several reasons that I am happy it's Thursday. For one, when I get off work, I get to go home, hang out with the hubby, and watch The Big Bang Theory. When that show first came out, I decided I wasn't going to watch it. Never seemed to appeal to me. Then, one Thursday a few months ago, we had nothing else to do and decided to watch it. O.M.G. We fell in love. Now James has gone and tried to find every season, so we can watch it from the beginning. I personally love Sheldon. I don't know why, but I'm drawn to self-centered, neurotic people.

But anyways, back to the other reasons why I love Thursday.
- It's almost the weekend!
- It's What's Your Song Link Up!

I just got into this Link Up thing last week through a friend's blog. I had so much fun that I decided to keep going. In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week (Apr 24-30), here's one of the frew songs I have heard that talks specifically about infertility. No Less Than a Woman by Lady Saw.

If you want to join us, head over to Goodnight Moon's blog and link up! Link: Goodnight Moon

Infertility Myth: It isn’t your baby.

2011-04-27T16:49:00.001-05:00

I knew almost as soon as we started our relationship that James was the man I wanted to father my children. I was fully prepared and overly excited to have what we affectionately refer to as our 'demon spawn'. We had some suspicion that James might need a little help increasing his count, but we weren't ready to hear the actual results of the semen analysis. We even had the test done twice, just to be sure. We were expecting to see a count of low millions, not 0. Nada. Big fat goose egg. After doing more research into azoospermia, and filling his mother with enough alcohol to get a real story about his younger years, it finally hit us. This was likely something we wouldn't be able to fix. We were devestated. It became clear that James would not father my children - at least in the biological sense.

It took months before I was comfortable enough with the idea of sperm donation to discuss it with him. I was freaking out. How could I ever feel comfortable cheating on my husband to have a baby? How do I explain to our child that Daddy isn't really Daddy? What about medical issues down the line? How do I keep a proper relationship with a donor to keep updated on medical history as our child grows? How is James going to feel, knowing that he isn't biologically related to our child? Is he going to get mad or fed up one day and just yell, "Well you know what? I'm not your father!"? These were all legitmate, scary questions.

I finally sat down with James and brought up the subject. I expressed my concerns, and then he did what he always does. He made me feel better. He looked me right in the eye and said "Honey, it doesn't matter to me if we are related or not. I'll be there from day 1, loving that baby with all my heart. I don't care if that baby is black, brown or purple - it will be my child, and I will be the best dad I can be."

That really gave me hope - but still left some questions unanswered. First, where on Earth were we going to find a donor? After looking at the costs of finding one from a cryobank, along with the costs of the IUI necessary to use it, I got really worried again. Then I found this great site, http://freespermdonorregistry.com/. I registered several months ago, so I could explore the site and see if I could really trust it. I have read some great things from couples who have used it, as well as happy donors, excited to advertise their success. James and I decided that we wanted to try and find a friend we trusted to donate first, but this is our backup plan.

I know that this problem is still years away, but how do we explain this unusual situation to our child? Dawn Davenport, from Creating a Family, must have been reading my mind. Just a few days ago she posted a link to a series of books designed just for this purpose. The "Before You Were Born" series was written by a registered nurse that works in an IVF clinic, and has gone through IVF herself. I read the sample book online, and felt so much better afterwards. I will definitely be buying the "The Story of Donor Insemination" and reading it to our child as they grow up. Here's a link to the book list: Before You Were Born

So this myth is busted. While the child may not be James' biologically, he/she will definitely be James' child in heart and love. And really - what better way to be related?

For more information about infertility, please visit RESOLVE's website: http://www.resolve.org/infertility101
For the background of National Infertility Awareness Week® (NIAW): http://www.resolve.org/takecharge

Photo Challenge Days 12-14

2011-04-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

Day 12 - A picture of something you love
It's hard to just choose one thing, because I love some many things. So I narrowed it down to flowers. I LOVE flowers. There's just something about them that can always make me feel better, even on the worst of days. Here are some of my favorites :)

Orange Calla Lilies	Daffodils of all sorts
Tiger Lilies	Stargazer Lilies
Gerbera Daisies	Parrot Tulips

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
It's still really funny to me that this is my favorite band, but I love Korn. When I was younger and not allowed to listen to heavy metal, I would get mad at some of the girls in our church congregation for calling me Corn. I even wrote their parents a letter detailing why it was so offensive to me. It included a note about this band, and how I didn't want to be affiliated with them in any way. Well, that obviously has all changed. I was excited to finally get to see them in concert last year, and will likely go several more times.

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
I know you were expecting my husband, and I agree. I can't imagine my life without James. For the last 3.5 years, he has been my rock. Whenever I needed to cry, his shoulder was available. In some situations, he'd even cry with me. I've been married once before, but I never felt the love from my first husband as I do with James. It's such a pure, forever kind of love :)

Just a little down this evening...

2011-04-27T01:30:00.000-05:00

I am feeling the aftermath of tax season, and so is my body. I am self-employed, so taxes are killer. Unlike most people I know, I didn't get to celebrate a tax refund. Instead, I had to write a fairly large check two weeks ago. To overcome this major dent in our pocketbook, we had to make a few changes. First, we knew that we could not afford to go to the grocery store until my next paycheck in the middle of May. That meant we were stuck eating whatever I could scrounge up around the house. I'm well stocked with meats and canned veggies, but veggies are just so much more enjoyable when they are fresh. So because I can't get to the store to get fresh veggies, my diet is suffering. Thankfully I only gained 0.2 pounds at my Weight Watchers meeting tonight. I probably would have cried if it was more. We also did a lot of yard work to get our garden and patio competition worthy. Our apartment complex had that Earth Day contest, and we won! Thank goodness, because we needed the discounted rent. My already problem-rittled back took a beating, though. I went to the chiropractor Monday morning for an adjustment, but that didn't relieve any pain. I talked to my dad today and he suggested to try IcyHot patches to make the pain tolerable, so I don't have to miss work again, like I did today.

It's like this revolving cycle - My back is in severe pain, so I miss work. When I miss work, I can't afford the trip to the doctor to get another pain med prescription. When I don't have pain relievers, my back is in severe pain. Sucks, right? And then, I keep hoping that losing a lot of weight will reduce the strain on my back. Problem there is: I tried to exercise, just some simple yoga, and could only last 8 minutes before I was in desperate need of a chair. Ugh.

Just needed to rant. I'm tired of all these problems getting in the way of the progress we need to start TTCing with a donor. Thanks for listening :)

Just a few Infertility Myths

2011-04-25T15:30:00.001-05:00

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. Sometimes it still amazes me that with as widespread a problem this is, so many people are still oblivious to the truths about infertility. Although I am going to write a few more posts this week going into more detail about them (and hopefully even get my hubby to guest write for me!), I wanted to address just a few that have been bugging me as of late.

When someone tells you they are having difficulty getting pregnant, what are the first few comments that pop into your head?
"Just relax, it'll happen."
"You're too young to have kids. Enjoy your life while you can."
"You want kids? You can have mine!"
"If God wants you to have children, you will."

There are plenty more, but if I discuss every single comment, this post will take forever.

"Just relax, it'll happen." - No, it won't happen if I relax. My husband does not produce sperm, so relaxing and just enjoying sex WILL NOT get us pregnant.

"You're too young to have kids. Enjoy your life while you can." - I've wanted to be a mom since I was 5 years old. After 18 long years of watching my friends get knocked up and be unable to support their children, I'm tired of waiting. I don't have the same desires as other young 20-somethings. I want to be a mom, and my husband wants to be a dad. Battling infertility is a very long, arduous process, and if we don't start now, we could run out of time.

"You want kids? You can have mine!" - This hurts us more than you can imagine. We would take your kids in a heartbeat. Why? Because we want to have children. I would cherish every moment spent with those children as if they were my own. But when you offer, you propose it as a joke. This is not a laughing matter to us.

"If God wants you to have children, you will." - Let's say I did believe in 'God': If 'God' really did want us to have children, we wouldn't be fighting infertility. My husband would have sperm, and I wouldn't have PCOS.

Ok, I've done enough ranting for now.

Photo Challenge 9 - 11

2011-04-24T16:37:00.000-05:00

Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
My Dad. We may have our issues, but in the end he always helps me, even if it's not the way I want it :)

Day 10 - A picture of you and your family
At the wedding :)

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Ugh. Onions. I hate them in every form they exist.

It's Earth Day, so eat your heart out, neighbors!

2011-04-22T12:29:00.000-05:00

A little over a week ago, we came home to a note a flyer on our door from the resident office at out apartment complex. It was an entry form for their Earth Day contest. The winner is chosen based on how pretty and clean the patio is. First place wins $300 off May's rent. Well, after the damage the IRS did to my checkbook, I could really use the discounted rent this month. So I got to work making my already pretty garden even prettier. The contest is this afternoon, and I can't wait to find out the results. Although I'm obviously partial, I do believe that my yard is the prettiest. Here are some pics. Let me know what you think! (You can click on the picture to make it bigger)

Circle+Bloom and PCOS for Fertility

2011-04-21T16:23:00.001-05:00

I used to believe that the only way to control a disease as overwhelming as PCOS was with prescription medications. I have since found that I was way off base. I have had so much more success controlling my symptoms with all-natural herbs and supplements that I'm now always looking for other holistic ways to assist in this journey towards becoming a mother. I recently heard about Circle+Bloom from Natural-Fertility-Info.com, and ventured over to the website. Although I'm really interested in all-natural (and even some superstitious) approaches to getting pregnant, I was hesitant about getting interested in this type of program. Then I read the testimonials.

“Your PCOS for Fertility Program worked!!!! I finally ovulated! You have no idea how happy I am! Thank you all so much! I am telling everyone I know. This is the best money I’ve ever spent!” Liz, via email

“I decided to get the PCOS for fertility program to try to calm down and let things take its course. I used it for that cycle and it helped immensely. I felt so calm and relaxed during this cycle that I was OK with whatever happened that month. Well, that month was the month I got pregnant!! I found out October 21, 2010 that I was pregnant and the only thing that we did differently that month was this program. Thank you Circle and Bloom.” Danielle, via email

“I have been using the program for PCOS and really feel like it is helping me through the visualization exercises. My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for a year now, and I have been diagnosed with PCOS. I’ve been feeling better with the PCOS program…thank you so much!” Neha, via email

James and I decided that we were going to try getting pregnant via a sperm donor first, since it is by far the cheapest method to attempt. With all the stress I deal with on a daily basis with work, school, and family, I know that I need something to ease the stress and increase our chances at conception. So I've decided that this is the PCOS for Fertility program I want to try. This program is not only supposed to assist with increasing fertility, but it's also supposed to help relieve some PCOS symptoms.

Here's the benefits from Circle+Bloom's website:

Benefits Include:

- Use advanced visualizations to use brain-body therapy to help address the symptoms of PCOS
- Visualize balancing your reproductive hormones to potentially improve fertility each and every day
- Focus on minimizing insulin in the blood stream that could be contributing to your PCOS
- Help to increase cellular response to insulin that could be contributing to your PCOS
- Feel in greater control of your body, levels of health and well-being

Sound too good to be true? PCOS has no effective treatment?
The power of the brain is still not fully understood at the scientific level…but what we do know is that it has a direct correlation to the health of our body. Our emotions, how we feel, our thoughts and stress all impact our health and our immune system. People who are happy tend to live longer. Our emotions become physical packets of information and literally change our cells. (Pert Ph.D., Molecules of Emotion). Bernie Siegel, M.D. reports on thousands of cases of cancer survivors who use the power of visualization to reduce and remove the cancer tumors from their bodies.

There's a money-back guarantee, so I don't see the harm in trying it out. In fact, it could end up being one of the best things I have ever done for myself. Once I can afford to get it (dang IRS and their self-employment taxes), I'll post updates about how it's working for me.

Oh - and if you would be interested in donating to our Baby Fund, which covers anything and everything related to fighting infertility, we would be so grateful. Anything, great or small, will help us out so much. Please venture over to WallaceBabyFund.ChipIn.com to read more, or see the widget to the right side of my blog!

What's Your Song... Link Up

2011-04-21T12:27:00.000-05:00

I think this is more the song of my life at the moment, but it seemed like the song I needed to share first on this Link Up journey. As we battle with infertility, we look for support anywhere we can. Websites, blogs and support groups are easier to find, but songs aren't. There are thousands of love songs, but only a few infertility songs. It's hard to talk about and hard to sing about, but I thank Kellie Coffey every day for doing exactly that. Here's I Would Die For That by Kellie Coffey.

Make sure to share your song of the week by linking up at Goodnight Moon:

Photo Challenge Days 6-8

2011-04-21T12:20:00.000-05:00

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
I'd love to trade places with my hubby (partially so I can sit at home all day and do nothing lol). I want to feel how it feels for him to love me, and I['d like for him to feel how I feel about him :)

My silly hubby :)

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item
Although this isn't a picture of my photo album, my most treasured item is my photo album. I can replace pretty much everything else in my house if it burned down, but photos aren't as easy to save. (I do have back ups on computers, but if I lose the compute, I lose the pics...)

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh
Sometimes, after a long day at work, constant phone calls from other people asking me for help, and knowing that there's a list of things to do at home that's 50 miles long, I just want to scream this from the rooftop! This kitty just makes me feel better :)

What's for Dinner? April 18-22, 2011

2011-04-18T14:15:00.001-05:00

Last week I focused on replacing carbs like rice and pasta with veggies. It went so well that we will be replacing rice and pasta with grated cauliflower and spaghetti squash in prety much every application we can.

This week I wanted to focus on trying healthier grains in my attempt to go gluten-free, particulary Quinoa. Central Market has bulk whole quinoa for very cheap. It doesn't weigh much, so a pound goes SO FAR! I also purchased a package of ground quinoa flour. If I like the flour, I will probably start grinding my own to make it cheaper.

Monday: Taco Salad (again!)
James loved this recipe, so I'm doing it again. Of course, I'll still be using cauliflower instead of rice. I used orange cauliflower last week, and it looked like spanish rice. Very cool :)

Recipe can be found in last week's menu plan: April 11-15 2011 Menu Plan

Tuesday: Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
After reading the reviews on this recipe, I can't wait to try this. I will be canned corn instead of frozen, and will be adding a little more cayenne for some extra heat. I will also be eliminating the onion, because I don't like them.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1.Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2.Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3.Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

This recipe comes courtesy of PCOS Diva and AllRecipes.

Wednesday: Raspberry Balsamic Chicken and Sour Cream Fudge Cupcakes
I really want to bake this week, and I think this is the perfect day to do it. Can't wait to try the cupcakes!

Raspberry Balsamic Chicken
I'm not a fan of anything related to an onion, so I will be skipping the shallots in this dish.
Ingredients
3/4 cup seedless all-fruit raspberry jam
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 4- to 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenders removed (see Tip)
2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots, (2-3 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

Directions
1. Combine jam and vinegar in a small pan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring often, until the jam is dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in salt and pepper and let cool slightly. Reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce. Place chicken breasts and the rest of the sauce in a large sealable plastic bag. Seal and shake gently to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and thyme and cook, stirring often, until the shallots begin to soften, about 1 minute. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade). Add the chicken to the pan and cook until just beginning to brown, 2 minutes on each side. Add the reserved raspberry sauce; stir to melt the jam and coat the chicken. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center, 6 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Courtesy of PCOS Diva and FitnessMagazine

Sour Cream Fudge Cupcakes

Ingredients
¼ cup butter (or margarine)
½ cup water
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 ¼ cup quinoa flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup sour cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 375˚. Place butter and water in saucepan. Bring to boil, remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Sift together the sugar, quinoa flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cooled cocoa mixture, egg yolks, vanilla, and sour cream and blend well. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter. Spoon into muffin tin lined with paper cupcake liners. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Makes 12 cupcakes
Courtesy of Quinoa Corp.

Thursday: Veggie Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries
I'm going easy today, with burgers and fries. No special cooking - just heat and eat. I picked up some Bruschetta Tomato Basil Parmesan Veggie Patties made by Boca Burger. Check your vegetarian/organic frozen section of your grocery store for these. I'm going to top them with more veggies and serve with sweet potato fries. I picked those up from the frozen section of my grocery store.

Friday: Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf
I'm going to round out this week with more quinoa. I love a good meatloaf, and I like the sound of this recipe :) (Again, I will be removing the onions)

Ingredients
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon water

Directions
1.Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3.Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.
4.Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub the paste over the top of the meatloaf.
5.Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Courtesy of AllRecipes

Photo Challenge Day 2-5 :)

2011-04-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I kind of ignored the photo challenge this weekend. When we weren't running around the world, I was trying to finish up taxes. So here's the catch-up post for days 2 through 5!

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
- My mom and I, out for our favorite thing: Margaritas!

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
-House: Although I have many other favorite shows, I had to eventually choose House as #1.

Day 04 - A picture of somewhere you've been to
- Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR: We went to a B&B in Murfreesboro for our Honeymoon. It was an awesome weekend, and very relaxing.

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite super hero
-Songbird: She's the bad girl gone good, much like me. I would love to have the ability to fly and use sound to do amazing things.

Happy Monday!

2011-04-18T13:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday! This past weekend was pretty eventful. We headed to Scarborough Faire Saturday morning. Every year they have a Royal Ale Festival, and I'm always up for trying new beers. The last time we went they had this amazing banana beer. I was hoping they would have it again, but no such luck :( We did get to try some good brews, though. None I'd buy regularly, but it was still fun to try!

We bought lots of new stuff. Most isn't really useful, but who says you always have to buy useful items? By far the most meaningful thing we purchased this weekend is our new Baby Fund jar. You know those silly little jars that say 'Ashes of Ex-Husbands' or 'Boob Job Fund'? Well there was a shop that had a ton of beautifully created jars like these. James was the first to see the 'Baby Fund' jar. We knew when we saw it that it was not going home with anyone but us. I'll post pictures later. I also bought a parasol painted with cherry blossoms. I should have bought it earlier in the day - I probably wouldn't be so red right now if I did. I made a wax-chip candle, just like we did the first time we went together :) We also bought a bathing frog painting for the bathroom, Hear/See/Speak/Do No Evil pewter monkeys, a fairy and lily candle snuffer, a hand-crafted frog, and a pendragon decorative knife to add to the hubby's arsenal.

Sunday spelled tragedy in our household. Mary, our almost 4 year old Dwarf Robo Hamster, died in her sleep. James was very broken up about it. We buried her in the garden and will be getting a memorial stone to put on top. We went out to pick up a mini-fridge for my mom, and spent a few hours driving the backroads, looking at what has happened to the places my family has lived over the years. We then decided that we needed to go to the pet store. I told James that he could pick out another hamster to replace Mary. I don't think he could have made a better choice when he picked Geronimo - a FAT black bear hamster that snores when she sleeps. I also got a black bear hamster, still to be named. She's only half the size of Geronimo. I haven't been able to determine what I want to name her, so I'll gladly take suggestions.

Geronimo is the fat one on the left :)

As for last week's meal plan - It was swell! The grated cauliflower was a fantastic substitute for rice, and the spaghetti squash was so much better than regular pasta! I am going to continue using these substitutes quite frequently. This week I have decided to explore new grains, particularly Quinoa. I have whole quinoa and quinoa flour and I plan to use both. Check out this week's menu plan for the details!

Have a great week!

Photo Challenge Day 1

2011-04-14T16:58:00.000-05:00

So, ten facts about me. Let's see....

Fact 1: The only Christian in me is my maiden name. I, along with my wonderful hubby, are practicing Pagans.

Fact 2: I've had to pull out my ID to prove that I am younger than people think.

Fact 3: I started a support group for women with PCOS in my area.

Fact 4: I have been married twice.

Fact 5: I believe that something will happen on Dec 21, 2012 - but I doubt that it will literally be the end of the world.

Fact 6: I love gardening, even though I am really good at killing plants unintentionally.

Fact 7: I have 3 children - Squeaks, Pete and MJ. Squeaks is a Green Cheek Conure, Pete is a Parakeet, and MJ is a Dwarf Robo Hamster. (4 if you count my husband :P)

Fact 8: My hubby and I were married on Halloween. There were two reasons for this. It's our favorite holiday, and I never wanted my hubby to have the ability to forget our anniversary :)

Fact 9: I do not believe in fate, destiny, or the assumption that everyone has a set purpose in life.

Fact 10: When we finally do have children, I will not raise them in the city. If everything goes my way, I won't raise them in the U.S., either.

Photo Challenge

2011-04-14T16:23:00.000-05:00

I'm following along with Christina and her blog, Mrs. O's Life, and I'm giving into the photo challenge :) Hopefully I'll remember to do them daily!

Here's the schedule:
Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts about you
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
Day 04 - A picture of somewhere you've been too
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite super hero
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 10 - A picture of you and you're family
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you
Day 17 - A picture of someone who has made a huge impact on your life recently
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity
Day 19 - A picture and a letter.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of your day
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-13T17:08:00.001-05:00

Random survey #1

2011-04-13T17:02:00.000-05:00

Usually I don't know what to blog about. Sometimes there's something really bugging me, or something I am really excited about, that I want to share. Other days, I have nothing. So I decided that to google search 'Random Surveys for Bloggers'. Most of the surveys we are forwarded from friends are extremely personal, with details that you typically wouldn't want to share with people you don't know. As I value my safety, I didn't want to do any of those. Here's one I found that allos me to share random information about myself with you, but not the point that you could become a stalker and find where I live.

50 Random Questions

1. What is your best friend's Mom's name? Gayla

2. Where is the weirdest place you have a mole? Actually, I don't have any moles. I have a birthmark and freckles, but no moles.

3. Who was the hottest teacher you ever had? I believe his name was Dalrymple. I know for sure, though, that he was my high school sophomore English teacher.

4. Have you ever made out in a movie theater? Never during the movie. But those opening commericials, yeah.

5. What body part do you wash first? My hair. It takes the longest, with conditioner and all that...

6. Do you hover over the toilet in public bathrooms? No. If the toilet requires hovering, I'll find another toilet.

7. What's the strangest talent you have? I'm sure my husband would say it's anything I can do with my 'monkey toes'.

8. Do you have an innie or an outtie? Innie.

9. What's your favorite flavored Pringles? BBQ.

10. Have you ever been tied up? Do you want to be? I don't think that this is a good topic for this blog.

11. What was the last thing you ever got grounded for? The last time I can remember was for getting in-school suspension for smoking cigarettes on school property. But that was the middle of freshman year, so there might have been more. Ok, it's more likely that there was more after that.

12. Do you parallel park or drive around the block? I do when necessary.

13. Have you ever had two dates in one night? Nope.

14. How many times have you been cussed out? I really don't remember. It's happened a few times, but probably more behind my back than to my face.

15. Which shoe do you put on first? Usually the left.

17. Have you ever been to a gay bar? Yep. There's this bar hop that goes on in Oak Lawn that results in dirt cheap drinks. Like $2 wells. I can get drunk on $10 with cranberry and vodkas.

18. Girls-- are being forced to grow up at much younger ages. I wish sex and popularity wasn't such a driving force in public school.

19. Is there one thing all of your love interests have had in common? Yep. Me. hahaha couldn't help myself with that one.

20. Did you French kiss before you were 16? Yes.

21. Have you ever been cow-tipping or snipe-hunting? No.

22. Who is the last person you usually think about before you fall asleep? Usually the cute guy in bed next to me :)

23. Have you ever had a poem or a song written about you? Yep :)

24. If you had to choose to not ever wash your bed sheets again or not wash your bath towel ever again, which would you rather not wash? The bath towel. They are cheaper to replace.

25. Have you ever found anything in your parents' bedroom that was questionable? I was one of those good children that didn't go sneaking around in their room.

26. What was your childhood nickname? Well, this will tell you how much I was loved: Thunder-thighs, Thunder-buns, Court

27. When is the last time you played the air guitar? The last time a really good song came on the radio - one truly deserving of air guitar.

28. Have you ever peeked in the opposite sexes locker room? Not intentionally.

29. What's the weirdest thing you have done while driving? Put my bra back on. Let's not go into the details.

30. Have you ever bitten your toenails? That would require being able to get my toes to my mouth. And I still wouldn't do it. Ugh.

31. How do you eat your cookie? I bite a piece off, chew, swallow, and repeat.

32. When working out at the gym, do you wear a belt? No.

33. Name something you do when you're alone that you wouldn't do in front of others. Pop pimples.

36. How many drinks does it take before you get drunk? Depends on what I'm drinking.

37. Have you ever sniffed an animal's butt? Eww. No.

38. How often do you clean out your ears? Pretty much anytime I am in my bathroom.

39. Do you scrunch or fold your toilet paper? Fold

40. About how many times a day do you pick a wedgie? I'm not about to start counting to answer this question.

41. Do you have any strange phobias? Not necessarily strange. I am deathly scared of clowns, large crowds and never being a mother.

42. Have you ever stuck a foreign object up your nose? Yes. We were all toddlers at one point in our lives.

43. What is the stupidest thing you've ever done at a bar? Nothing that I can think of. I don't go to bars that often.

44. Have you ever been dared to do something you totally regretted? No.

45. Have you ever called your love interest by an ex's name? Not intentionally. But when you are acting just like an ex, sometimes you'll get called by the ex's name.

46. Have you caught a guy/girl farting while on a date? Yes, but it's a bodily function that I understand can be difficult, if not impossible, to hold until you can reach a safe location.

47. Have you ever played naked Twister? No.

48. Have you ever been drunk at work? That would be irresponsible.

49. Have you ever found your date's/lover's brother or sister more attractive? No.

50. Do you want to bring sexy back? I still have yet to truly understand what Justin Timberlake meant by that song.

Questions came from Uniquely Normal

What's For Dinner? April 11-15, 2011

2011-04-10T03:40:00.000-05:00

My online meal planner will briefly highlight breakfast and lunch, but will detail dinner. I typically do not vary my breakfast and lunch. I like to get as much sleep as I can, so I usually grab a yogurt for breakfast and some sandwich meat and veggies for lunch. Sometimes I will grab leftover dinner for lunch, when I have some leftover :)

Monday: Curried Chicken with Mango Rice
I found some beautiful mangoes at the grocery store today. They are my favorite fruit! I found this recipe and I can't wait to try it.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup uncooked cauliflower rice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 cup diced mango

Directions
Combine curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Rub mixture into chicken breasts. Saute in a few tablespoons of chicken broth, white wine and olive oil.
In a large, non-stick skillet, combine the rest of the chicken broth, water, and wine with rice. Stir in brown sugar, dried parsley, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in mango. Arrange chicken pieces on top of rice, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for about 5 minutes. The sauce way not thicken completely, because cauliflower rice does not absorb much liquid.
(Modified from a recipe on AllRecipes.com)

Tuesday: Roasted Garlic Marinated Skirt Steak and Steamed Asparagus
This is a very bright dish that's super easy to prepare, and manly enough that the hubby doesn't feel weird eating it lol :)

Ingredients
1 cup roasted garlic vinegarette
1-2 pounds skirt steak
1-2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon rosemary (optional)

Directions
Marinate the skirt steak in a bowl or ziploc bag with the vinegarette for at least 30 minutes (overnight preferred). Grill the steak or cook in a large skillet over high heat. Steam the asparagus with lemon juice and rosemary.

Wednesday: Taco Salad
When I was younger, my grandmother would make lots of taco meat and then serve it to us in a bowl of rice, topped with tomatoes. I LOVED IT. I still do – but PCOS has effectively stopped that love affair… Until now!
I will be replacing traditional rice with grated cauliflower! The directions are at the end of the blog.

Ingredients
2-3 cups grated, cooked cauliflower
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 romaine heart, chopped – roughly 2 cups (you can use any other lettuce you would like)
Any other taco toppings you choose

Directions
Brown 1 pound of ground turkey with your favorite taco seasoning. I love the Taco Soup seasoning from Homemade Gourmet (link: HMG) Add a heaping ladle-full of cauliflower rice into a bowl. Add a spoonful of cooked turkey. Top with your choice of toppings. If you are like me, mix it all up so you get a little of everything in each bite, then dig in! You can add cheese and sour cream as well - just watch the fat content!

Thursday: MUshroom Spaghetti (Squash!)
I've been dying to try spaghetti squash as a substitute for spaghetti. So tonight I'm going to try a basic spaghetti with some extra veggies!

Ingredients
2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
1 can spaghetti sauce, or homemade - I like Homemade Gourmet's Spaghetti Sauce (link: HMG)
1 small package white mushrooms, sliced (or any other type of mushroom you like!)

Directions
In a large pot, heat spaghetti sauce on low heat. Add sliced mushrooms and spaghetti squash, and heat through. Dish out and top with parmesan cheese!

Friday: Spaghetti Pie
This recipe combines pizza, lasagna and pie. I can't help myself, I have to try it.

Ingredients
6 ounces spaghetti squash, cooked
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 cup Skim Milk Ricotta Cheese
1 cup pasta sauce
1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions
Toss spaghetti squash with olive oil in large bowl. Stir in eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour spaghetti mixture into greased 10-inch pie plate; form into a crust.
Spoon ricotta cheese over spaghetti crust. Top with pasta sauce. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven 25 minutes. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cool 10 minutes before cutting.
(Modified from a Sargento recipe. Spaghetti Pie)

Cauliflower Rice
The texture of grated cauliflower is very similar to rice and has a very light flavor. Simply shred a head of cauliflower in a food processor or grate it with a cheese grater. This will keep, uncooked, for a few days in the refridgerator. You can use it uncooked or cooked. To cook, pop the amount you need in the microwave, covered, for a few minutes to steam. DO NOT ADD WATER! You don’t need it! Just nuke it until nice and fluffy.

Spaghetti Squash
My plan is to slowcook my spaghetti squash all day on Thursday, and use the leftovers for Friday's dinner.
Buying & Storing
When buying spaghetti squash, look for hard fruit that is heavy for its size, about eight to nine inches in length and four to five inches in diameter and with a pale even color. Avoid any squash with soft spots and green color is a sign of immaturity. The average four-pound spaghetti squash will yield about five cups.

Spaghetti Squash can be stored at room temperature for about a month. After cutting, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. Spaghetti squash also freezes well. Pack cooked squash into freezer bags, seal, label and freeze. Partially thaw before re-using, then steam until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes.

How To Cook Spaghetti Squash
Bake It -- Pierce the whole shell several times with a large fork or skewer and place in baking dish. Cook squash in preheated 375F oven approximately 1 hour or until flesh is tender.

Boil It -- Heat a pot of water large enough to hold the whole squash. When the water is boiling, drop in the squash and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on its size. When a fork goes easily into the flesh, the squash is done.

Microwave It -- Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place squash cut sides up in a microwave dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on size of squash. Add more cooking time if necessary. Let stand covered, for 5 minutes. With fork "comb" out the strands.

Slow Cooker or Crock-Pot - Choose a smaller spaghetti squash (unless you have an extra large slow cooker) so that it will fit. Add 2 cups of water to slow cooker. Pierce the whole shell several times with a large fork or skewer, add to Crock Pot, cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.
Once the squash is cooked, let it cool for 10 to 20 minutes so it will be easier to handle, before cutting in half (if it wasn't already) and removing the seeds. Save the seeds for roasting - just like pumpkin seeds! Pull a fork lengthwise through the flesh to separate it into long strands. You can do these steps ahead of time, then prepare spaghetti squash recipes whenever the mood strikes.
(courtesy of FabulousFoods.com)

Our escapades with Tommi!

2011-04-10T03:39:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we went to get Tommi for the weekend. Our first stop was meeting my mom at the Super H Mart in Carrollton. It's a huge Korean market with all sorts of shops. Not to mention, sushi! Actually, that's the whole reason we went there :)



Mom and I headed off to an earring making class at a bead shop and the boys headed to the mall. Mom and I made 3 different pairs of earrings, and it really reignited my interest in jewelry making. I will be starting a store soon with PCOS earrings and bracelets :)





After the class, I used my class discount to buy the beads to make a new frog necklace. I have the perfect shirt to wear it with!

Mom left and we headed to the train station to go to the Deep Ellum Arts Festival! We walked a total of 1.3 miles while at the Arts Festival. It was great exercise, and we got to see some really interesting art! I did purchase a piece - a photo of the photo is below :) Oh, and James decided he was going to wear his 'I wear Teal for my Wife' shirt... I feel so loved @/----



We headed over to Lizard Lounge afterwards to go see DJ Irene. Sadly we had to leave before she came on, but it was definitely fun hanging out in our VIP wingback seats, on the upper balcony, watching and laughing at the people on the dance floor below.

We saw a car in flames on the freeway as we rode the train back to the car before we headed home for the night. It was very fun day :)

The Zoo was GREAT!

2011-03-28T13:37:00.000-05:00

The hubby and I had so much fun on Saturday when we went to the zoo. The weather was pretty much perfect, and even though there were TONS of people, we didn't have too much trouble getting around. I have exercise-induced asthma, and hubby has arthritis in his knee, so I was shocked that we only had to sit down twice, and they were brief stops. The new Museum of Living Art was very cool. I wanted to post a few of the pics I took while I was there. Bear in mind that I am not a fantastic photographer, but these aren't bad.

Hyacinth Macaw	Red Fronted Macaw
Front: Hyacinth Macaw Rear: Blue and Gold Macaw	Flamingo
Cockatiel	Penguin

Panamanian Golden Frog This one is pretty blurry, but I think he was one of my favorite frogs out there. I even brought a stuffed version of him home :)
Pigeon
Zebras
Mohawk Duck!
Scarlet Ibis

I have come to the realization that I love birds just as much as I love frogs. The best pictures I have from the zoo are the ones of the birds, and I have lots of pictures from birdwatching on my porch. I have 2 birds as pets at home, as well as several bird feeders and bird baths outside on my patio. Hubby and I plan on building an aviary when we have a place of our own, and we will be adding to our bird family :)

Exercise can be fun!

2011-03-25T16:46:00.001-05:00

The weekend is always the best time for me to get my exercise, simply because I don't have to work. Although I love my Wii workout, that's really more for the middle of the week. I've started planning my weekends to include lots of physical activities, without the dread of actual exercise. Weight Watchers stresses that you don't use the term 'exercise', but rather 'activity'. I would agree. 'Exercise' can strike fear into the hearts of even the healthy, whereas 'activity' implies something fun.

So here's what I have planned for the next few weekends as 'activity':

Friday, Mar 25: Weeding My Garden

Oh my goodness, the weeds have just taken over! I have 3 birdfeeders very close to the garden, so seeds get thrown in it all the time. The seeds have started growing plants, so I will be digging around tonight, pulling all of them out.

Saturday, Mar 26: Fort Worth Zoo

specifically for the new Museum of Living Art. Last time we went, MOLA was still under construction. That zoo has been in desperate need of a new herpetarium for eons, and I'm so glad it's finally here! My husband is overly excited and has been asking me to go to the zoo for 6 months. The weather is perfect right now, so I think it's about time we go :) (Fort Worth Zoo)

Sunday, March 27: Fort Worth Botanical Gardens

I have yet to discuss this much, but I LOVE GROUPON. I am signed up for deals in 3 different cities, and I purchase at least 1 Groupon a week. One of the ones I am most excited about was the discount Couple's Membership to the Botanical Gardens. Although most of the Gardens are free, the Conservatory and Japanese Garden are not. I paid $20 for a $60 membership, and I can't wait to use it! We'll be going to the Japanese Garden on this trip, and I'll be taking my camera with me :) My goal is to start visiting the Gardens at least every other weekend, to make full use of the membership, as well as relax in a serene setting before I have to head back to work for the week. (Fort Worth Botanical Gardens)

Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3: Tommi's Coming to Visit!

One of my husband's best friends is coming over for the weekend! He was one of the groomsmen at our wedding, and we really don't get to see him often enough. This weekend is the Deep Ellum Arts Festival. I just love free stuff like this! Live music, plenty of local art, and alcohol. (Although I'll be good and not drink very much...) I'm looking forward to exploring the festival with the guys, and finding a club to hang out at after the festival closes. (Deep Ellum Arts Festival)

Saturday, April 9: Dallas Auto Show

Woohoo! Another awesome Groupon find. Tickets for adults to the Dallas Auto Show are normally $12 a piece. Today's Groupon was $6 for two tickets! Of course I bought them. I'll get plenty of exercise walking around the huge show, drooling over all the cars :) (Dallas Auto Show)

Sunday, April 10: Botanical Gardens

Okay, if I'm not completely exhausted from the Auto Show on Saturday, then I think we'll head back to Fort Worth for another visit to the Gardens.

I'll be posting pictures as these events occur. My challenge to you? Get out there and find some activity of your own!

Wii Workout :)

2011-03-24T14:43:00.000-05:00

I ordered some workout goodies for my Wii, and they came in yesterday! I splurged and bought 2lb dumbbell attachments for my wiimote and a silicone cover for the balance board. The cover has little nubs in the shape of a foot. It makes it much easier for me to stay in the same position for the whole workout, and they massage my feet, too!

The dumbbells, although only 2 lbs each, sure did increase the intensity of my workout. Of course, I'm sure you are wondering what my workout routine is. My custom routine mixes yoga and strength training. I use the dumbbells when I do the strength training and some of the balance games.

1. Yoga - Warrior: I love this pose, because it really stretches and tones my thighs.
2. Strength Training(ST) - Torso Twists: These stretch your ab muscles, and it isn't crunches!
3. Yoga - Sun Salutation: This pose has helped me touch my toes again!
4. ST - Triceps Extension: This is great for my upper arms, especially with the new weights.
5. Yoga - Half-Moon: This stretches the sides of my abs.
6. ST - Sideways Leg Lift: I really feel this is my tush.
7. Yoga - Palm Tree: This works my calf muscles out.

If I want a full workout instead of a quickie - I add these two as well:
8. ST - Plank: Like a pushup, but with no going down. You balance on your forearms and toes for 30 seconds. I still can't make it all the way through without starting to shake.
9. Yoga - Triangle: I haven't been able to really get this pose right, but I sure am trying!

I also love the Rhythm Boxing in the Balance Games, and Rhythm Kung-Fu in Training Plus. I like the Kung-Fu because one of my all-time favorite movies is the Matrix - and one of my favorite scenes in Matrix 1 is just after Neo gets done with a day of training downloads. He looks over at Morpheus and says "I know Kung-Fu." I don't know why I like that scene so much - I guess it's just sort of funny to me. And guess what? YouTube has a clip of it :)

Of course I do play the other games on Wii Fit from time to time, but these are the ones I do most frequently. Extra bonus from yesterday - My Wii Fit Age was 20 instead of 28-35. Yay!

Local Support Group!

2011-03-22T11:27:00.001-05:00

When I'm not working and I'm not gardening, I'm promoting PCOS Awareness. For several years I have been looking for a support group in my local area, so I could meet other women with PCOS face-to-face. Although I love all of my cysters around the world, being able to hug another cyster when you need a shoulder to cry on can be a very important tool in surviving this epic battle against PCOS.

I finally gave up my search and decided to create a group myself. I am very excited to see how well this goes, since the DFW area has such a large population. We are the 'DFW PCOS Cysters' support group. We can be found at our website: http://dfwpcoscysters.webs.com/
Or at our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/DFW-PCOS-Cysters/198476810176802

If you know of anyone in the DFW area that might be interested in joining, please send them our way! One step at a time, we will fight this disease and win!

Reasons for the re-design :)

2011-03-18T16:18:00.000-05:00

I decided that I needed a new template for my blog. The pink and black one I had just didn't really fit me like I thought it did. Now I have this pretty gardening one! This fits a lot better because that's what I've really started doing!

I have a one garden at my home and one at my grandmother's. I'm limited on space due to living in an apartment, so I have hanging planters holding 3 types of tomatoes (upside down), a pot of strawberries, and a TON of flowers. There is a large space that looks empty in my garden right now, but that's only until all my bulbs come up!

The garden at my grandmother's is significantly bigger. It's not quite finished yet, so I don't have pictures. We have planted everything from arugula to zucchini. We started a trade group with some other family and friends. Everyone is growing different fruits and veggies, and we are trading some of ours for some of theirs. If the crops turn out as well as we hope, we are also expecting to be able to sell some to the neighbors! With the way prices have been soaring for gas lately, it's only a matter of time before everything else gets really expensive as well. Growing our own is going to save us so much money!

Even better yet, when you grow your own food, it's organic. You control what you put on each and every plant. We will be using organic pesticides, such as orange oil, to keep the plants healthy, happy and bug-free.

Organic fruits and veggies have higher vitamin and mineral contents than regular produce does. Women with PCOS need more vitamins and nutrients than women without, due to hormonal imbalances. Therefore - organic produce is much better for Cysters. What better way to get them than picking them right out of your garden?